Influence Of Natural Religion On The Temporal Happiness Of Mankind, The

This little-known work by Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832), the great English philosopher and originator of utilitarianism, was considered so controversial in its time that it was first published in 1822 under the pseudonym "Philip Beauchamp." The focus of this critical treatise is "natural religion," a school of thought that maintained one could use human reason alone, unaided by faith, to deduce the will of God from the natural order. Divided into two parts, Bentham first criticizes the major tenets of belief in a supreme being and its alleged benefits to humanity. In the second part, he catalogues the many ways in which natural religion harms both individuals and society as a whole. At a time when the Anglican Church was still a highly influential institution in English society, it is understandable that this work would have been considered highly controversial. Some may still find it so today, and it remains a powerful challenge to traditional theism by one of England's most important social philosophers.