Jeremy Bentham
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"Jeremy Bentham" was a British philosopher, jurist, and social reformer. He is regarded as the founder of modern utilitarianism.

Bentham became a leading theorist in Anglo-American philosophy of law, and a political radical whose ideas influenced the development of welfarism. He advocated individual freedom/individual and economic freedom, the separation of church and state, freedom of expression, equal rights for women, the right to divorce, and the decriminalising of homosexual acts.Bentham, Jeremy. [http://www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/eresources/exhibitions/sw25/bentham/index.html "Offences Against One's Self"], first published in Journal of Homosexuality, v.3:4(1978), p. 389–405; continued in v.4:1(1978).

* Also see Boralevi, Lea Campos. Bentham and the Oppressed. Walter de Gruyter, 1984, p. 37. He called for the abolitionism/abolition of slavery, the abolition of the death penalty, and the abolition of physical punishment, including that of children. He has also become known in recent years as an early advocate of animal rights.Sunstein, Cass R. [http://books.google.com/books?id=e7FME0btkH0C&pg=PA3 "Introduction: What are Animal Rights?"], in Sunstein, Cass R. and Nussbaum, Martha (eds.). Animal Rights. Oxford University Press, 2005, pp. 3–4.

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Nature has placed mankind under the government of two sovereign masters, pain and pleasure - they govern us in all we do, in all we say, in all we think: every effort we can make to throw off our subjection, will serve but to demonstrate and confirm.

It is vain to talk of the interest of the community, without understanding what is the interest of the individual.

The greatest happiness of the greatest number is the foundation of morals and legislation.

Lawyers are the only persons in whom ignorance of the law is not punished.

The question is not, can they reason? Nor, can they talk? But, can they suffer?

The power of the lawyer is in the uncertainty of the law.

The question is not, "Can they reason?" nor, "Can they talk?" but rather, "Can they suffer?"

As to the evil which results from a censorship, it is impossible to measure it, for it is impossible to tell where it ends.

Every law is an infraction of liberty.

It is the greatest good to the greatest number of people which is the measure of right and wrong.

Stretching his hand out to catch the stars, he forgets the flowers at his feet.

Tyranny and anarchy are never far asunder.