Tag Archives | Jeremy Bentham

OFFENCES AGAINST ONESELF

OFFENCES AGAINST ONESELF

By Jeremy Bentham, Károly Mária Kertbeny
Read by Andrew Cullum
4 hours 1 minutes

The criminalisation of homosexuality over centuries has been one of the shocking injustices of European history – it existed from the middle ages and before, and well into the 20th century. The death penalty (hanging or burning) was a commonplace feature in legal systems. These two remarkable texts – one from England in the 18th century, and one from Germany in the 19th century  – show how there was a growing awareness of the prejudice and the cruelty of its effect. Continue Reading →

AN INTRODUCTION TO THE PRINCIPLES OF MORALS AND LEGISLATION

AN INTRODUCTION TO THE PRINCIPLES OF MORALS AND LEGISLATION

By Jeremy Bentham
Read by Andrew Cullum
17 hours 4 minutes

Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832), the English philosopher, writer on law and political radical, was an extraordinary individual. His preserved body can still be seen seated in a case in the South Cloisters of University College, London – what he called an auto-icon. His most important legacy however is the ‘principle of utility’ – the greatest happiness of the greatest number: an ultimate measure of right and wrong. Continue Reading →