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.
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