Panopticon Writings

A definitive collection of Bentham’s work on the model prison, key to Foucault’s theory of power.

Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832) was the founder of the doctrine of utilitarianism, outlined in "An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation" (1789). His work on the Panopticon began in 1785. His concern with legal reform and codification continued throughout his life, and he was a campaigner for universal suffrage, the secret ballot and the abolition of capital and corporal punishment.