Jeremy Bentham (IPA: ['benθəm] or ['bentəm]) (15 February 1748–6 June 1832) was an English jurist, philosopher, an legal and social reformer. He was a political radical, and a leading theorist in Anglo-American philosophy of law. He is best known for his advocacy of utilitarianism, for the concept of animal rights, and his opposition to the idea of natural rights, with his oft-quoted statement that the idea of such rights is "nonsense upon stilts." He also influenced the development of welfarism.