'A Genius for Legislation' The Lasting Attraction of Legal and Political Thought of Jeremy Bentham

A la pregunta por la originalidad, la importancia crítica y la perdurable atracción que suscita el pensamiento legal y político de Bentham, el autor responde atribuyéndolas, como se supone con frecuencia, al uso que hace Bentham del principio de utilidad como herramienta crítica con la cual examinar las leyes, instituciones, prácticas y creencias existentes, y sugerir medidas de reforma. Sin embargo, afirma que su originalidad e importancia se deben principalmente a su ontología y a su filosofía del lenguaje. Para ello, comienza describiendo los puntos de vista de Bentham sobre la ontología y el lenguaje, luego muestra cómo el principio de utilidad se deriva de su ontología, y finalmente trata de demostrar el significado permanente de sus ideas, tomando como ejemplo su análisis de la corrupción política.To the question for the originality, the critic importance, and the lasting attraction that provokes Bentham's legal and political thought, the author responds attributing them, as it's frequently supposed, to the use that Bentham makes of the principie of utility as critic tool with which he can examine the laws, institutions, practices, and existing beliefs, and suggest measures of reform. However, states that his originality and importance are mainly due to his ontology and his speech philosophy. For doing so, starts describing Bentham's point of views about the ontology and the speech, then shows how the utility principie is derived from its ontology, and finally tries to demonstrate the permanent meaning of his ideas, taking as an example his analysis about politic corruption