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Primary sourceBook1776

A Fragment on Government

Jeremy Bentham · 1776

Bentham's first major published work, an anonymous 1776 critique of Blackstone that introduced his idea of 'the greatest happiness of the greatest number'.

Bentham's own first major published work, introducing the core phrase of his later philosophy.

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Dark blue cloth book cover with a white rectangular library label on the left spine area reading Trinity College Library, with a barcode and number 31761 02710574 1 printed vertically.
Jeremy Bentham, A Fragment on Government, 1776. British Library.

About this source

What it is

This is a book by Jeremy Bentham, published anonymously in 1776. It is a critical response to the legal writings of William Blackstone, held today by the British Library.

Why it matters

This was Bentham's first major publication and the work that first set out his phrase 'the greatest happiness of the greatest number' as a measure of right and wrong, an idea at the heart of utilitarianism. By attacking a leading legal authority of the day, the young Bentham challenged accepted ideas about law and showed the direction his later, more famous works would take.

Look closer

  • Why might Bentham have chosen to publish this work anonymously?
  • What does it suggest about Bentham's character that his first major book was a direct attack on a respected legal scholar?
  • How does the idea of 'the greatest happiness of the greatest number' connect to his later writings?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Jeremy Bentham on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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