A collection of scholarly works about individual liberty and free markets. A project of Liberty Fund, Inc.
, The Best of the OLL No. 21: Jeremy Bentham, “The Greatest Happiness of the Greatest Number” (1830) (Indianapolis: Liberty Fund, 2013). http://oll2.libertyfund.org/titles/2550
| Available in the following formats: | ||
|---|---|---|
| EBook PDF | 189 KB | This text-based PDF or EBook was created from the HTML version of this book and is part of the Portable Library of Liberty. |
| ePub | 512 KB | ePub standard file for your iPad or any e-reader compatible with that format |
| Kindle | 245 KB | This is an E-book formatted for Amazon Kindle devices. |
This is part of “The Best of the Online Library of Liberty” which is a collection of some of the most important material in the OLL. In this extract Bentham defines the two principles on which he bases his political theory, namely the greatest happiness-principle and the self-preference principle. He notes that traditionally rulers have pursued their own “self-preference” or happiness and that of their supporters, at the expence of the happiness of the society at large. He calls the small group of individuals who pursue their own goals at the expence of the community the “sinister interest.”
The text is in the public domain.
This material is put online to further the educational goals of Liberty Fund, Inc. Unless otherwise stated in the Copyright Information section above, this material may be used freely for educational and academic purposes. It may not be used in any way for profit.