Definition

1. Proper noun:
   • English philosopher and jurist: Jeremy Bentham was a British thinker, social reformer, and legal theorist.
   • Founder of utilitarianism: He is best known as the originator of the ethical doctrine of utilitarianism, which holds that the best action is the one that maximizes overall "happiness" or "utility."

Usage Examples

• Proper noun:
  • Jeremy Bentham's ideas on law and punishment were highly influential.
  • The philosophy of Jeremy Bentham is central to understanding modern ethics.

Advanced Usage

• "Benthamite": (adjective) Relating to or characteristic of the ideas of Jeremy Bentham.
  • The policy had a distinctly Benthamite focus on measurable outcomes.
• "Auto-icon": Refers to Bentham's preserved body, dressed in his clothes and displayed at University College London, per his will.
  • Jeremy Bentham's auto-icon is a unique historical artifact.

Variants and Related Words

• Utilitarianism (n): The ethical theory, founded by Bentham, that actions are right if they are useful or for the benefit of a majority.
• Panopticon (n): A type of institutional building designed by Bentham to allow all inmates to be observed by a single watchman.

Synonyms

• Philosopher: Thinker, theorist.
• Utilitarian: (as a noun, a follower of his philosophy) Reformist.

Related Phrases

• "The greatest happiness principle": The core tenet of Bentham's utilitarianism, which states that the right action is that which produces the greatest happiness for the greatest number.
  • Jeremy Bentham's "greatest happiness principle" was a radical idea for its time.

Noun

1. English philosopher and jurist; founder of utilitarianism (1748-1831)