Bentham’sAnIntroductiontothePrinciplesofMoralsandLegislationisoftenconsideredthefirstworkofthephilosophicalschoolofutilitarianismandisthusavitaltextforstudentsofphilosophy.Inthiscomprehensiveguidetothetext,StevenSverdlikprovidesanentrypointintothisimportantwork,examiningthetextinitsentiretyandhighlightingitscentralclaimsandtheirrelevancetocontemporarydiscussionsinavarietyoffields.SverdlikworksthroughthechaptersofBentham’stextsequentially,explainingandevaluatingthework’smainthemes.TheGuideemphasizesBentham’soriginalgoalofintroducingautilitarianpenalcode.SverdlikexplainsBentham’sfundamentalmoralclaimsandprinciples:theprincipleofutility,hishedonistictheoryofintrinsicvalue,andhisclaimsaboutthemeasurementofpleasureandpain.Benthamalsodiscussesatlengthhumanaction,motivation,anddecision.Sverdlikdiscussestheseideasingeneralterms,andthenexamineshowBenthamappliestheminthecontextofpenalorcriminallaw.AllofthislaysthegroundworkforacarefuldiscussionofBentham’streatmentofthedeterrenceofpotentialoffenders,thepunishmentofconvictedoffenders,andthecriminalizationofvarioustypesofbehavior.ByrestatingBentham’sargumentsincontemporaryphilosophicalterms,Sverdlikallowsreaderstoseehowhisthinkingconnectstocurrentdebatesaboutthecriminaljusticesystem.ThisguideprovidesasystematiccontemporaryoverviewofBentham’sIntroductionthatwillbevaluabletoundergraduatephilosophystudents,aswellasstudentsandscholarswithaworkingknowledgeofbasicphilosophywhoareinterestedincriminallaw,moralphilosophy,andmoralpsychology.
