Bentham: A Fragment on Government

by J.H. Burns

This volume makes available one of the central texts in the development of utilitarian tradition, in the authoritative 1977 edition prepared by Professors Burns and Hart as part of Bentham's Collected Works. Certain that history was on his side, Bentham sought to rid the world of the hideous mess wrought by legal obfuscation and confusion, and to transform politics into a rational, scientific activity, premised on the fundamental axiom that "it is the greatest happiness of the greatest number that is the measure of right and wrong."

Genres: Philosophy, Politics, Nonfiction, Political Science, Economics

164 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1776

Reviews

[Oliver · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somehow a tougher read than An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation, but still enjoyable. Quite a lot of detailed content around the British Constitution and the formation of governments, with the older English being difficult to understand at points.

Another book from my class reading list, hence the perserverance.

Not bad over all

[Craig Bolton]

Bentham: A Fragment on Government (Cambridge Texts in the History of Political Thought) by Jeremy Bentham (1988)