The Merits & Excesses of Bentham’s Critique of Blackstone’s Commentaries on the Laws of England

The Merits & Excesses of Bentham's Critique of Blackstone's Commentaries on the Laws of England is a short book giving a critical purview of Bentham's strictures on Blackstone's work. In his work A Fragment of Government ('Fragment') Bentham sought to undermine the authority of Blackstone, by critiquing Blackstone's work of The Commentaries on the Laws of England ('The Commentaries'). Bentham vehemently opposes Blackstone's mere recounting of the 'law as it is'. Bentham launches an attack on Blackstone's work from a moral utilitarian standpoint. Bentham claims that legal scholarship should not be confined to mere 'epositor' but rather also mandates the need for 'censure'. This book analyses such a polemic on Blackstone from a political and psychological perspective, giving a level-headed perspective free from the hyperbole of Bentham (his excesses), but acknowledging the merit of Bentham's worthy attempt of making a science of utilitarian legal scholarship. This is a good read to grasp, critically, Bentham's argumentation, as well as giving prescription on the need to further and frame legal scholarship as a cooperative team sport - with no opposition!