An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation

E92674

book philosophical work treatise on ethics work on legal theory

An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation is Jeremy Bentham’s foundational work of utilitarian philosophy, systematically outlining a moral and legal theory based on maximizing overall happiness.

Aliases (1)

Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation ×1

Statements (47)

Predicate	Object
instanceOf	book → philosophical work → treatise on ethics → work on legal theory →
advocates	punishment only when it promises to exclude some greater evil →
alsoKnownAs	An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation → surface form: "Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation"
argues	actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness → laws should be evaluated by their tendency to augment the happiness of the community →
author	Jeremy Bentham →
centralConcept	felicific calculus → greatest happiness principle → hedonistic calculus → pleasure and pain as moral criteria → sanctions →
countryOfOrigin	United Kingdom →
critiques	natural rights theories → retributive theories of punishment →
dateWritten	1780 →
defines	utility as property of an object to produce benefit, advantage, pleasure, good or happiness →
genre	non-fiction →
hasPart	chapter on sanctions → chapter on the circumstances influencing sensibility → chapter on the classification of offenses → chapter on the principle of utility →
influenced	John Stuart Mill → classical utilitarianism → modern legal positivism → nineteenth-century legal reform →
language	English →
mainTheme	legal philosophy → legislation and lawmaking → maximization of overall happiness → moral philosophy → principle of utility →
notableFor	early development of a utilitarian theory of legislation → systematic formulation of utilitarian ethics →
philosophicalSchool	utilitarianism →
placeOfPublication	London, England → surface form: "London"
proposes	a quantitative method for comparing pleasures and pains →
publicationYear	1789 →
publisher	T. Payne and Son →
subject	ethics → jurisprudence → legislative reform → penal law → political philosophy →
timePeriod	18th century →

Referenced by (5)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation → alsoKnownAs → An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation →

this entity surface form: "Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation"

British Enlightenment → notableWork → An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation →

Jeremy Bentham → notableWork → An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation →

hedonic calculus → originatesFrom → An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation →

Constitutional Code → relatedWorkOfAuthor → An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation →