Jeremy Bentham

Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832) was an English philosopher and jurist best known for developing the moral theory of utilitarianism. While primarily focused on legal and social reform, Bentham's philosophical framework had significant implications for religious thought. His utilitarian ethics, which judged actions by their consequences in promoting happiness and reducing suffering, challenged traditional religious foundations for morality. Bentham was skeptical of organized religion and natural theology, viewing religious beliefs as obstacles to rational social progress. In "Analysis of the Influence of Natural Religion on the Temporal Happiness of Mankind" (1822), published under a pseudonym, he argued that religious belief generally diminished human happiness. His Auto-Icon project, requesting his body be preserved and displayed, reflected his materialist worldview and rejection of traditional religious notions of the afterlife. Bentham's secular approach to ethics and his critique of religious authority contributed to nineteenth-century debates about morality's independence from theology.