Nineteenth century English philosopher. He sought to establish a basis for a perfect system of government by postulating a baseline referred to as the principle of utility, otherwise known as the greatest happiness principle. As such, government may proceed by seeking the maximisation of happiness and the minimisation of pain, which allowed the development of social order on a principle of deterrence. Accordingly, his theories were somewhat hostile to notions of rights and liberty, as perhaps exemplified by his development of the idea of the Panopticon. Today, the British Labour party appears to have slipped an ideological groove from Marx to Bentham, describing a doctrine they refer to as 'conditionality.'
See other PhilosophersAndBrigands. Readers are invited to arrive at their own judgements as to which category Bentham falls into.