Read more
A major new study of Jeremy Bentham's engagement with contemporary French culture, from the Enlightenment through to the post-Revolutionary era.
List of contents
Acknowledgements; A note on translations; Introduction; Part I. An Englishman in the Republic of Letters: 1. Languages of Enlightenment; 2. Satire and polemics; 3. Defining utilitarianism: private connections and correspondence; Part II. 'Projet d'un corps de loix complet' and the Reform of Jurisprudence in Europe: 4. The Genesis of Projet; 5. Projet in Enlightenment legal thought; 6. The politics of legal reform; Part III. Reflections for the Revolution in France: 7. Frenchmen and Francophiles: Lord Lansdowne's network; 8. British expertise for French legislators; 9. Utility, rights and revolution: missed encounters?; Part IV. Utile Dulcis? Bentham in Paris, 1802: 10. Dumont's editorship: from the Bibliothèque Britannique to Traités de législation civile et pénale; 11. A mixed reception; 12. Autumn 1802: Bentham in Paris; Part V. Liberty, Utility and Rights (1815-1832): 13. 'For one disciple in this country, I have fifty at least in France'; 14. Utilitarian arguments in French politics; 15. A Utilitarian moment? French liberals and utilitarianism; Epilogue: Bentham in the July Revolution; Conclusion; Bibliography.
About the author
Emmanuelle de Champs is Professor of British History and Civilisation at Université Cergy-Pontoise (France) and a former student of the Ecole Normale Supérieure de Fontenay-Saint Cloud. She is a founding member of the Centre Bentham Ecole de droit de Sciences-Po, Paris, the leading French research centre in utilitarian studies and collaborates with the Bentham Project, University College London, on Bentham's French manuscripts. De Champs has published numerous articles on Bentham and classical utilitarianism, aw well as two monographs: Bentham et la France: fortunes et infortunes de L'utilitarisme (2009) and 'La déontologie politique' ou la pensée constitutionnelle de Jeremy Bentham (2008). She is a member of the Committee, Bentham Project, University College London, and a Board Member for the International Society of Utilitarian Studies.
Summary
A major contribution to our understanding of a seminal figure in the history of modern political thought, Jeremy Bentham, the founder of classical utilitarianism. Emmanuelle de Champs surveys Bentham's engagement with contemporary French culture, from the Enlightenment to the post-Revolutionary era, and his influence on modern Liberalism.
