Jeremy Bentham: Difference between revisions

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Born on 15.02.1748 in London, Jeremy Bentham was a British philosopher and theoretical jurist.

Bentham was born into a wealthy family of attorneys that supported the Tory party. He entered Queen’s College in Oxford at the tender age of twelve and finished with a Master’s degree in law in 1766. Though he never actually practiced law, most of his publications, such as Of Laws in General (1782) or Principles of the Civil Code (1786), are on ideas for legal reformation.

He is known for his principle of utilitarianism, to which the formula “the greatest happiness of the greatest number” is central and he is the inventor of the “Panopticon”. He was well connected and even became an honorary citizen of France due to his correspondence with many of the leaders of the French Revolution.

He was ahead of his times in various concerns, for example being an advocate of animal rights, individual and economic freedom, women’s rights and the decriminalization of homosexuality, but his influence during his lifetime remained rather small.

Bentham died on the 6th of June, 1832 in London. His head was preserved as an mummified Auto-Icon, which is still kept at University College in London, of which he is considered to be the “spiritual founder”.

Sources:

“Jeremy Bentham”. Encyclopaedia Britannica. 19.12.2013 <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/61103/Jeremy-Bentham>

“Jeremy Bentham”. Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. 19.12.2013 <http://www.iep.utm.edu/bentham/#SH6a>

“Jeremy Bentham”. Wikipedia. 19.12.2013 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeremy_Bentham#Utilitarianism>

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	Born on 15.02.1748 in London, Jeremy Bentham was a British philosopher and theoretical jurist.		Born on 15.02.1748 in London, Jeremy Bentham was a British philosopher and theoretical jurist.

	Bentham was born into a wealthy family of attorneys that supported the Tory party. He entered ''Queen’s College'' in Oxford at the tender age of twelve and finished with a Master’s degree in law in 1766. Though he never actually practiced law, most of his publications, such as ''Of Laws in General'' (1782) or ''Principles of the Civil Code'' (1786), are on ideas for legal reformation.		Bentham was born into a wealthy family of attorneys that supported the Tory party. He entered ''Queen’s College'' in Oxford at the tender age of twelve and finished with a Master’s degree in law in 1766. Though he never actually practiced law, most of his publications, such as ''Of Laws in General'' (1782) or ''Principles of the Civil Code'' (1786), are on ideas for legal reformation.