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Jeremy Bentham

Jeremy Bentham (/ˈbɛnθəm/; 4 February 1747/8 O.S. [15 February 1748 N.S.] – 6 June 1832) was an English philosopher, jurist, and social reformer regarded as the founder of modern utilitarianism.[1][2][3][4][5]

Jeremy Bentham

(1748-02-15)15 February 1748 [O.S. 4 February 1747/8]

London, England

6 June 1832(1832-06-06) (aged 84)

London, England

Bentham defined as the "fundamental axiom" of his philosophy the principle that "it is the greatest happiness of the greatest number that is the measure of right and wrong."[6][7] He became a leading theorist in Anglo-American philosophy of law, and a political radical whose ideas influenced the development of welfarism. He advocated individual and economic freedoms, the separation of church and state, freedom of expression, equal rights for women, the right to divorce, and (in an unpublished essay) the decriminalising of homosexual acts.[8][9] He called for the abolition of slavery, capital punishment, and physical punishment, including that of children.[10] He has also become known as an early advocate of animal rights.[11][12][13][14] Though strongly in favour of the extension of individual legal rights, he opposed the idea of natural law and natural rights (both of which are considered "divine" or "God-given" in origin), calling them "nonsense upon stilts".[3][15] Bentham was also a sharp critic of legal fictions.


Bentham's students included his secretary and collaborator James Mill, the latter's son, John Stuart Mill, the legal philosopher John Austin and American writer and activist John Neal. He "had considerable influence on the reform of prisons, schools, poor laws, law courts, and Parliament itself."[16]


On his death in 1832, Bentham left instructions for his body to be first dissected, and then to be permanently preserved as an "auto-icon" (or self-image), which would be his memorial. This was done, and the auto-icon is now on public display in the entrance of the Student Centre at University College London (UCL). Because of his arguments in favour of the general availability of education, he has been described as the "spiritual founder" of UCL. However, he played only a limited direct part in its foundation.[17]

A fragment on government

Short Review of the Declaration 

1780. . London: T. Payne and Sons.[106]

An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation

1785 (publ. 1978). "Offences Against One's Self", edited by . Journal of Homosexuality 3(4)389–405. Continued in vol. 4(1). doi:10.1300/J082v03n04_07. ISSN 0091-8369. PMID 353189.[107]

L. Crompton

1787. – via Wikisource.

Panopticon or the Inspection-House 

[108]

1791. "Essay on Political Tactics" (1st ed.). London: T. Payne.

[109]

[110]

1802. Traités de législation civile et pénale, 3 vols, edited by .

Étienne Dumont

1811. Punishments and Rewards.

1812. Panopticon versus New South Wales: or, the Panopticon Penitentiary System, Compared. Includes:

  1. Two Letters to Lord Pelham, Secretary of State, Comparing the two Systems on the Ground of Expediency.
  2. "Plea for the Constitution: Representing the Illegalities involved in the Penal Colonization System (1803, first publ. 1812)

Adam Smith

1817. . London: sold by R. Hunter.

A Table of the Springs of Action

1817. "Swear Not At All"

1817. . London: R. Hunter.

Plan of Parliamentary Reform, in the form of Catechism with Reasons for Each Article, with An Introduction shewing the Necessity and the Inadequacy of Moderate Reform

1818. Church-of-Englandism and its Catechism Examined. London: .[112]

Effingham Wilson

1821. . London: Effingham Wilson.

The Elements of the Art of Packing, as applied to special juries particularly in cases of libel law

1821. On the Liberty of the Press, and Public Discussion. London: Hone.

pseudonym

1824. (1st ed.). London: John and H. L. Hunt.

The Book of Fallacies from Unfinished Papers of Jeremy Bentham

1825. (1st ed.), edited by M. Dumont. London: Baldwin, Cradock, & Joy.

A Treatise on Judicial Evidence Extracted from the Manuscripts of Jeremy Bentham, Esq

1827. (1st ed.). London: Hunt & Clarke.

Rationale of Judicial Evidence, specially applied to English Practice, Extracted from the Manuscripts of Jeremy Bentham, Esq. I

1830. . London: Robert Heward – via Wikisource.

Emancipate Your Colonies! Addressed to the National Convention of France A° 1793, shewing the uselessness and mischievousness of distant dependencies to a European state 

1834. , edited by J. Bowring. London: Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, Green and Longman.

Deontology or, The science of morality 1

List of animal rights advocates

List of civil rights leaders

List of liberal theorists

 – Philosophical theory

Philosophy of happiness

 – Belief that universal principles of morality override unjust laws

Rule according to higher law

 – Political situation in which every citizen is subject to the law

Rule of law

at the National Portrait Gallery, London

Portraits of Jeremy Bentham

at Project Gutenberg

Works by Jeremy Bentham

at Internet Archive

Works by or about Jeremy Bentham

at LibriVox (public domain audiobooks)

Works by Jeremy Bentham

initiative run by the Bentham Project that has its own website with useful links.

Transcribe Bentham

at Random-Times.com

The curious case of Jeremy Bentham

categorised links

Jeremy Bentham

Archived 12 July 2010 at the Wayback Machine has an extensive biographical reference of Bentham.

The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy

Archived 30 January 2010 at the Wayback Machine A play-reading of the life and legacy of Jeremy Bentham.

"Jeremy Bentham at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2007"

biographical profile, including quotes and further resources, at Utilitarianism.net

Jeremy Bentham

at University College London

Bentham Book Collection

at University College London

Bentham Papers