The scans were conducted with CT (computed tomography) scanning equipment to create a digital 3D model of his head and highlight Bentham's lengthy "presence" at University College London (UCL) as it celebrates its 200th anniversary.
Bentham's utilitarian philosophy inspired UCL's founders; it was only the third university in England, after Oxford and Cambridge, which was founded as London University in 1826 and opened to students in 1828.
Except for brief visits across Europe and to the Met Breuer in New York City, this auto-icon has been in a display case at UCL since the 1850s, where it can be seen by students as they pass by.
Bentham's real head was displayed at the feet of the clothed skeleton that had a lifelike wax head; the real head's eyes were replaced with highly detailed glass eyes, which can be seen in the scans. According to UCL lore, the real head was stolen in 1975 and held ransom for a few days by rivals from King's College London, after which it was locked away.
The CT scans of the real head show that Bentham had dental damage and jaw arthritis, and that his brain had been removed before it was preserved—although some of his dura mater, a layer of connective tissue that covers the brain and spinal cord, was preserved. Davidson said the brain extraction was done to keep with Bentham's instructions that his head be mummified in the same way as Māori heads, which had their brains removed. The scanning process is shown in a short film called "Bentham Revealed."
Jeremy Bentham's "auto-icon" on display at University College London in 2008. (Image credit: Jim Dyson/Getty Images)"Godless" philosopher
Bentham was a polymath who hoped to improve the lives of ordinary people through social reform. He wrote extensively about subjects as varied as law, economics, education and animal rights, and he believed that society could be engineered to produce better outcomes through legislation and the objective measurement of "utility."
RELATED STORIESHis most famous idea was the panopticon in 1791, a ring-shaped prison with one warden to watch all of the prisoners, which he proposed as a humane alternative to Australia's penal colonies. Today, however, it is a symbol of state control and surveillance. Bentham also invented a "felicific calculus" to numerically assess the benefits and drawbacks of any given action, based on variables like its intensity, duration, certainty, purity and extent.
This rift with the church may have played a part in Bentham's wishes for his remains. Davidson suggested that the auto-icon may have been a means for Bentham to avoid being buried with traditional Anglican rites. "Maybe this was a way he could 'stick it to them' a little bit," she said.
Hence then, the article about godless founder of utilitarianism had severe dental problems and was in excruciating pain ct scans of his severed head reveal was published today ( ) and is available on Live Science ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( 'Godless' founder of utilitarianism had severe dental problems and was in 'excruciating pain,' CT scans of his severed head reveal )
Also on site :
- Reality TV Fans Are on a Mission to Unmask the Hulu or Bravo Husband Who Made an Inappropriate Remark About an Inner-Circle Woman
- Daddy Yankee Surprised by Janet Jackson Upon Receiving his POTY Award: ‘Your Music Has Inspired an Entire Generation’
- EVIDENT apporte l'imagerie super-résolution simultanée à quatre canaux à la recherche sur cellules vivantes avec son nouveau détecteur SilVIR-RAY™