Bentham
JEREMY, an English jurist, born in London, Feb. 15, 1748; educated at Westminster and Oxford; entered Lincoln's Inn, in 1763. He was called to the bar, but did not practice, and, having private means, devoted himself to the reform of civil and criminal legislation. A criticism on a passage in Blackstone's "Commentaries," published under the title, "A Fragment on Government" (1776), brought him into notice. His most important works are: "The Hard Labor Bill" (1778); "Principles of Morals and Legislation" (1780); "A Defense of Usury" (1787); "Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation" (1789); "Discourses on Civil and Penal Legislation" (1802); "Treatise on Judicial Evidence" (1813); "Paper Relative to Codification and Public Instruction" (1817); and the "Book of Fallacies" (1824). His mind, though at once subtle and comprehensive, was characterized by something lacking in method and sense of proportion; and he is therefore seen at his best in works revised by his disciples. In England, James Mill, Romilly, John Stuart Mill, Burton, and others of independent genius, have been among his exponents. In ethics he must be regarded as the founder of modern utilitarianism; in polity and criminal law he anticipated or suggested many practical reforms; and his whole influence was stimulating and humanizing. He died in London, June 6, 1832, leaving his body for dissection.