ABSTRACT
During the eighteenth century, development in science and secular philosophy contributed to changes in attitudes towards technological innovation and improvement in the nature of governments in Britain. This book examines these activities with the aim of revealing how Samuel Bentham's (SB) passion for science and for utilitarian improvement coalesced in him to produce a motivating, inspirational force. Hitherto historiography of SB has been partial and compromised. SB's father, Jeremiah Bentham (JB), was a retired lawyer who had invested his money in land and lived In Queens Square Place, Westminster. As a small child without a mother, SB was educated in a private boarding school run by Mr. Willis. In consequence in 1778 SB left the royal yards to enlarge his experience and education in maritime science. SB placed his faith in education. Travel to Russia through Holland and Germany provided a means of learning about continental culture as well as about their technology.
