Of Promulgation of the Laws and Promulgation of the Reasons Thereof Jeremy Bentham

One of Bentham's complaints about the English Law of his time was that it was mostly unknown to the citizenry; in part because of the obscurity of statute law and in part because much of common law was actually embodied in judicial decisions, the which were mostly unavailable to any but lawyers. Accordingly, Bentham regarded the promulgation of the laws as a matter of great importance, as is herewithin stated. In addition, tho', Bentham regarded the promulgation of the reason of the laws as almost as important. (For him, of course, the reason would be found on the greatest happiness principle.) Interestingly enough, this leads him to write things that almost sound like Rousseau or Kant.

Source of the Text

This text was digitized from Volume I of the 1843 Bowring edition of Bentham's works. About it, Bowring says this:

Edited from the French of Dumont and the original MSS. and printed works of Bentham.

Table of Contents

• I. Of Promulgation of the Laws
    Methods of Promulgation
  • Schools,
  • Churches,
  • Other Places,
  • Translations,
  • Particular Codes,
  • Laws concerning Contracts,
• II. Of Promulgation of the Reasons of the Laws