Ethics

An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation

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Jeremy Bentham

1789

Bentham's founding text of Utilitarian ethics opens with its famous declaration that "Nature has placed mankind under the governance of two sovereign masters, pain and pleasure," then constructs from this axiom a complete science of morals and legislation. The work introduces the principle of utility, develops a "felicific calculus" for measuring pleasures and pains, and applies utilitarian analysis to the classification of offences and the theory of punishment — arguing that law exists solely to maximise the happiness of the community.