Box 14 is a fascinating collection of Bentham’s writings on deontology. When read alongside Bentham’s earlier work An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation (1789), these papers present quite a comprehensive account of his moral outlook. In these documents Bentham discusses ideas which are pertinent to his emphasis on the greatest happiness of the greatest number - virtues, pleasures, pains, pride, prudence, passions and anger. Box 14 also contains drafts of A Table of the Springs of Action which summarise Bentham’s take on human psychology and ethics.

• PLEASE NOTE: Much of Box 14 has been transcribed and published in Deontology together with A Table of the Springs of Action and Article on Utilitarianism, ed. A. Goldworth, Oxford, 1983.

Detailed contents of this box are as follows:

• Folios 1 to 9: Introduction, Happiness and Unhappiness, Stations of Jurisprudence in the Map of Knowledge [a. 1800]
• Folios 10 to 13: Jurisprudence - law terms [before 1800]
• Folio 14: [Drama] Education - moral compositions [1794]
• Folios 15 to 18: Morals, moral entities, ethics [1795, 1804]
• Folio 19: Deontology private - catechism or Jug. true [c. 1800]
• Folio 20: Morals - definitions [c. 1800]
• Folio 21 [Deontology], Table of motives [1805]
• Folios 22 to 34: Entities - real and fictitious [1815]
• Folios 35 to 43: Logic or deontology, Happiness and unhappiness [1814]
• Folios 44 to 141: Logic or ethics - theoretical, end of action, pleasure and pain, summum bonum, virtue what [1814]
• Folios 142 to 153: Deontology II, Practical - of the deontologist or moralist [1814]
• Folios 154 to 165: Logic or ethics - propriety [1814]
• Folios 166 to 173: Logic or ethics - theory, fictitious entities [1814]
• Folios 174 to 179: Logic or ethics - deontology in general [1815]
• Folios 180 to 185: Deontology - definitions [1815]
• Folios 186 to 189: Ethics or deontology - deontological ethics [1816]
• Folios 190 to 195: [Deontology] - Man's interests and duties [1817]
• Folios 196 to 214: Deontology, Foundation of [1817]
• Folios 215 to 218: Deontology private - definitions [1819]
• Folios 219 to 224: Deontology, self-regarding [1819]
• Folios 225 to 237: Deontology private - rudiments, preface, marginal contents [1819]
• Folios 238 to 255: Deontology private - II practical [1819]
• Folios 256 to 268: Deontology private - theoretical [1819]
• Folios 269 to 273: Deontology private - Plan of a work entituled Morality or Private deontology [1821]
• Folios 274 to 280: Deontology private - practical part, beginning [1823, 1825]
• Folios 281 to 287: Deontology private - beginning [1827]
• Folio 288: Deontology private - effective benevolence [1828]
• Folios 289 to 296: Leading principles of morality made easy [in French] [1828]
• Folios 297 to 305: Deontology private - Hume's virtues and J.B.'s intellectual faculties [partly in shorthand] [1828]
• Folio 306 Deontology private - self-regarding prudence [1828]
• Folios 307 to 313: Deontology private - beginning [fragments] [1829-31]
• Folios 314 to 354: Article on Utilitarianism [1829]
• Folios 355 to 397: Article on Utilitarianism in Westminster Review [1829]
• Folios 398 to 411: Article on Utilitarianism in W.R. - history [1829]
• Folios 412 to 453: History of the greatest happiness principle [chiefly Bowring's MSS] [c. 1829-33]

Folios from box 14 which have already been partially or fully transcribed are listed under the progress bar below.

Box 14 Progress: Transcription begun

Untranscribed: 3
In Progress: 5
Ready For Review: 0
Completed: 502
Total: 510