English author, jurist, philosopher, and legal and social reformer
1748 CE
to 1832 CE
Jeremy Bentham (15 February 1748 – 6 June 1832) is an English author, jurist, philosopher, and legal and social reformer.
He becomes a leading theorist in Anglo-American philosophy of law, and a political radical whose ideas influence the development of welfarism.
He is best known for his advocacy of utilitarianism and the idea of the panopticon.
In recent years he has also become known as an early advocate of animal rights.
His position includes arguments in favor of individual and economic freedom, usury, the separation of church and state, freedom of expression, equal rights for women, the right to divorce, and the decriminalizing of homosexual acts.
He argues for the abolition of slavery and the death penalty and for the abolition of physical punishment, including that of children.
Although strongly in favor of the extension of individual legal rights, he opposes the idea of natural law and natural rights, calling them "nonsense upon stilts".
He has come to be considered the founding figure of modern utilitarianism, through his own work and that of his students.
These include his secretary and collaborator on the utilitarian school of philosophy, James Mill; James Mill's son John Stuart Mill; John Austin, legal philosopher; and several political leaders, including Robert Owen, a founder of modern socialism.
He has been described as the "spiritual founder" of University College London (UCL), though he plays little direct part in its foundation.
