Jeremy Bentham - philosopher, theorist of law and of the art of
government - was among the most influential figures of the early
nineteenth century, and the approach he pioneered - utilitarianism -
remains central to the modern world.
In this new introduction to his ideas, Michael Quinn shows how Bentham
sought to be an engineer or architect of choices and to illuminate the
methods of influencing human conduct to good ends, by focusing on how
people react to the various physical, legal, institutional, normative
and cultural factors that confront them as decision-makers. Quinn
examines how Bentham adopted utility as the critical standard for the
development and evaluation of government and public policy, and explains
how he sought to apply this principle to a range of areas, from penal
law to democratic reform, before concluding with an assessment of his
contemporary relevance. He argues that Bentham simultaneously sought
both to facilitate the implementation of governmental will and to expose
misrule by rendering all exercises of public power transparent to the
public on whose behalf it was exercised.
This book will be essential reading for any student or scholar of
Bentham, as well as those interested in the history of political
thought, philosophy, politics, ethics and utilitarianism.
