Jeremy Bentham
English · 1748–1832
English philosopher and reformer, the founder of modern utilitarianism — the view that the right action is whichever produces the greatest happiness for the greatest number, a paradigm case of consequentialist ethics. Bentham proposed a "felicific calculus" for adding up pleasures and pains, designed the panopticon prison, and pushed for legal, electoral and animal-welfare reforms well ahead of his time. His preserved body, dressed and seated, still presides over occasional meetings at University College London.