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EPPiSM Baner

No. 4/2025/76

Artykuły

On Jeremy Bentham’s Passion for Reform

Published: 2025-12-30

Abstract

The aim of this article, which adopts a historical approach, is to present Jeremy Bentham not so much as a philosopher, but as a reformer fighting for the implementation of his ideas, using philosophical concepts – primarily the principle of utility – as his weapon. The belief that all human actions should be guided by the (rational and unconditional) principle of the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people was the basis for all of Bentham’s efforts to reform the social order.
The English philosopher went to great lengths in his passion for reform; he was a total and consistent reformer – he wanted changes in the legal system, criminal law, civil law, constitutional law, and also in the penitentiary system (Panopticon); he wanted to modify
the British political system, reformed the language, demanded rights for women, and also postulated the recognition of certain rights for animals as beings capable of suffering – and always, regardless of the area being reformed, the basis for his actions was the principle of utility.

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