Jeremy Bentham (pronounced /ˈbɛnθəm/ or /ˈbɛntəm/) (15 February 1748 – 6 June 1832) was an English jurist, philosopher, and legal and social reformer. He was the brother of Samuel Bentham. He was a political radical, and a leading theorist in Anglo-American philosophy of law. He is best known for his advocacy of utilitarianism and his opposition to the ideas of natural law and natural rights, calling them "nonsense upon stilts." He also influence...
more
Jeremy Bentham (pronounced /ˈbɛnθəm/ or /ˈbɛntəm/) (15 February 1748 – 6 June 1832) was an English jurist, philosopher, and legal and social reformer. He was the brother of Samuel Bentham. He was a political radical, and a leading theorist in Anglo-American philosophy of law. He is best known for his advocacy of utilitarianism and his opposition to the ideas of natural law and natural rights, calling them "nonsense upon stilts." He also influenced the development of welfarism. He is probably best known in popular society as the originator of the concept of the panopticon.
He became known as one of the most influential of the utilitarians, through his own work and that of his students. These included his secretary and collaborator on the utilitarian school of philosophy, James Mill; James Mill's son John Stuart Mill; and several political leaders including Robert Owen, who later became a founder of modern socialism. He is also considered the godfather of University College London....
less
