Jeremy Bentham: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 15:25, 21 January 2014

1748-1832. British philosopher.

Bentham was born 15 February 1748 in London, into a wealthy family of attorneys that supported the Tory party. He entered Queen’s College in Oxford at the 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” [source??] is central and he is the inventor of the “Panopticon” [source??]. 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 [source??].

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 6 June 1832 in London. His body was preserved as a mummified Auto-Icon, which is still kept at University College in London, of which he is considered to be the “spiritual founder” [source??].

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> [Please do not use Wikipedia as a source - you could, however, check out the article's bibliography and/or use the OPAC.]

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 Bentham was born 15 February 1748 in London, into a wealthy family of attorneys that supported the Tory party. He entered Queen’s College in Oxford at the 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” [source??] is central and he is the inventor of the “Panopticon” [source??].
+He is known for his principle of utilitarianism, to which the formula “the greatest happiness of the greatest number” '''[source??]''' is central and he is the inventor of the “Panopticon” '''[source??]'''.
-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 [source??].
+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 '''[source??]'''.
 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 6 June 1832 in London. His body was preserved as a mummified  Auto-Icon, which is still kept at University College in London, of which he is considered to be the “spiritual founder” [source??].
+Bentham died on 6 June 1832 in London. His body was preserved as a mummified  Auto-Icon, which is still kept at University College in London, of which he is considered to be the “spiritual founder” '''[source??]'''.