An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation

About this film

LibriVox recording of Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation, by Jeremy Bentham. Read by 12 Librivox volunteers. Jeremy Bentham's Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation , a classic text in modern philosophy and jurisprudence, first published in 1789, focuses on the principle of utility and how this view of morality ties into legislative practices. Bentham's ambition in life was to create a complete Utilitarian code of law. The philosophy of utilitarianism argues that the right act or policy is that which would cause "the greatest good for the greatest number of people", also known as "the greatest happiness principle", or the principle of utility. Bentham's principle of utility regards "good" as that which produces the greatest amount of pleasure, and the minimum amount of pain; and "evil" as that which produces the most pain without the pleasure. This concept of pleasure and pain is defined by Bentham as physical as well as spiritual. Bentham writes about this principle as it manifests itself within the legislation of a society. He lays down a set of criteria for measuring the extent of pain or pleasure that a certain decision will create. Benth…

Directors & creators

Jeremy Bentham

Subjects

Librivox; audiobook; non-fiction; philosophy; jurisprudence; utilitarianism; greatest happiness principle; Bentham; legislation

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