Join us on this episode of pplpod as we examine the life of Jeremy Bentham (1748–1832), the eccentric child prodigy and philosopher regarded as the founder of modern utilitarianism,. We explore his "fundamental axiom"—that the "greatest happiness of the greatest number" is the ultimate measure of right and wrong—and his famous rejection of natural rights as "nonsense upon stilts".

In this episode, we cover:

• The Felicific Calculus: How Bentham proposed measuring the intensity and duration of pleasure and pain to guide moral and legal decision-making.

• Radical Social Reform: His forward-thinking advocacy for women’s suffrage, the right to divorce, and—in essays unpublished during his lifetime—the decriminalization of homosexuality,,.

• Animal Rights: Why Bentham argued th ...