Abstract
AbstractBentham's significance spans many fields. In ethics, he is the founder of modern utilitarianism, one of the most influential moral theories of the last two centuries. In jurisprudence, his dichotomy between “law as it is” and “law as it ought to be” is at the root of legal positivism. He produced one of the most comprehensive theories of evidence in the Anglo‐American tradition. He developed a systematic view of preventive punishment. His educational theories, based on access to all regardless of religion and gender, were the inspiration for the establishment of the University College London. Bentham put forward a utilitarian approach to liberal democracy.