An Exploration of Jeremy Bentham's Utilitarian View of Politics
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54097/ajmss.v3i3.11128Keywords:
Bentham, Utilitarianism, 1832 Reform ActAbstract
In response to the injustice and confusion in the legal and political fields of 18th-century England, Jeremy Bentham systematically proposed a utilitarian system and its penalties based on David Hume’s moral emotionalism and Beccaria's principles of legislation. Specifically, with a view of Minarchism, he proposed a comprehensive and radical plan for parliamentary reform in terms of the right to vote, the establishment of institutions, parliamentary procedures and the qualifications of parliamentarians in order to avoid corrupt practices, while at the same time emphasizing crime prevention, calling for leniency in penalties, the establishment of a sound and clear legal system and the reduction of the cost of defence to provide for his ideal political environment. Not only did he pioneer utilitarianism in theory, but he also contributed to the reform of the 1832 Parliamentary Reform and the improvement of the legal code.
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References
Bentham, J. (1823). An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation. Clarendon Press, Oxford.
Bentham, J. (1843). The Works of Jeremy Bentham, vol. 1. William Tait, Edinburgh.
Bentham, J. (1995). A Fragment of Government. The Commercial Press, Beijing.
Bentham, J. (1843). The Works of Jeremy Bentham, vol. 2. William Tait, Edinburgh.
Bentham, J. (1843). The Works of Jeremy Bentham, vol. 3. William Tait, London.
Bentham, J. (2000). An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation. The Commercial Press, Beijing.
Schofield, P. (2010). Utility and Democracy: The Political Thought of Bentham. Law Press, Beijing.
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