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Manual of Political Economy

work by Bentham

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The Manual of Political Economy was a work by Jeremy Bentham, a philosopher and economist known as the founder of modern utilitarianism. Utilitarianism is an ethical theory stating that actions are morally right if they promote happiness and wrong if they cause unhappiness. Bentham's Manual of Political Economy (1800) outlined what the state should and should not do, with the latter list being significantly longer, reflecting a laissez-faire approach to economics. He believed individuals were best suited to judge their own advantage and should pursue it without hindrance.123

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