Analysis of the influence of natural religion on the temporal happiness of mankind

"This little-known work by Jeremy Bentham, the great English philosopher and originator of utilitarianism, was considered so controversial when it was first published in 1822 that Bentham used the pseudonym of "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. As the creator of a system that defined human happiness in terms of a moral calculus based on pleasure and pain, Bentham was quite skeptical of all claims of religion. Thus it is not surprising that the results of Bentham's analysis of the influence of natural religion on human happiness are decidedly negative." "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, Bentham catalogues the many ways in which natural religion harms both individuals and society as a whole"--Book jacket of: Amherst, N.Y. : Prometheus Books, 2003.