Jeremy Bentham

Jeremy Bentham (4 February 1747/8 O.S. [15 February 1748 N.S.] – 6 June 1832) was an English philosopher, jurist, and social reformer. He is regarded as the founder of modern utilitarianism and a leading theorist in Anglo-American philosophy of law. Bentham advocated for individual and economic freedoms, the separation of church and state, freedom of expression, equal rights for women, the right to divorce, and the abolition of slavery, capital punishment, and physical punishment. He was an early advocate of animal rights and supported the decriminalization of homosexual acts. Bentham's philosophy centered around the idea that the greatest happiness of the greatest number is the measure of right and wrong.