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Francisco Vázquez García
Universidad de Cádiz
Spain
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3950-4313
Biography
Vol 24 No 1-2 (2020): Nº doble correspondiente al año 2020, Artículos por invitación, pages 1-13
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15304/telos.24.1-2.8088
Submitted: 07-11-2021 Published: 06-09-2022
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Abstract

This paper analyzes how Jeremy Bentham deals with the problem of compatibility between sexual freedom and public happiness. The extensive Benthamian corpus on the question of homoerotic relations is then considered, establishing its chronology, and examining its arguments. From the principle of utility, Bentham defends the decriminalization of homoerotic relationships and the beneficial effects of this practice on public happiness. Finally, the context of the Benthamian proposal is explored: the Enlightenment debate about homoerotic relations and the so-called “English anomaly”.

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