Inhaltsangabe
First published in 1789 (after being printed earlier in 1780), Jeremy Bentham’s An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation is the foundational classic of utilitarian ethics and modern legal philosophy.
Bentham argues that human life is governed by pleasure and pain, and that morals and laws should be evaluated by a single standard: the principle of utility—what tends to increase happiness and reduce suffering.
From there, he develops a practical framework for lawmakers and moral reasoners, including the famous felicific (hedonic) calculus and a careful analysis of motives, sanctions, punishment, and a taxonomy of offenses.
Essential reading for students of ethics, political theory, criminology, and jurisprudence, this work remains one of the most influential attempts to connect moral philosophy to the real design of laws and institutions.
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