BENTHAM, Jeremy

Prodigious from childhood, the consistent drive of all his writing was the unmasking of blocks to the greatest human happiness for the greatest number of people. He is recognised as the ‘father’ of utilitarian thinking and his ‘dream schemes’ to transform the limitations and wretchedness of life in society were rigorously thought through and costed. Law should be based on rational moral principles – less on tradition or inherent nature. It should be extended to all aspects of society, including the development of a legal system which would promote peace between nations. Education should be available to all – girls as much as boys, with the curriculum determined by usefulness. Such a criterion lent itself to an ‘industrial’ logic of the kind exposed by Dicken’s Mr Gradgrind, but his non-inclusion of music was less a lack of interest in such and more a fear of potentially noisy distraction in limited space. Religion was better avoided in the public sphere for reasons of its tendency to exclusivity.

Life

• Brief life of Bentham from Humanists UK
  
• Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy entry on Bentham's life and work

Writings

• An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation
• An 11 volume collection of the works of Bentham