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Jeremy Bentham has a new home
in @ucl's @uclstudentcent1. But has be been re-housed against his will? Let's check. 1/
(Photo credit: @ChrisShoreFRICS)
in @ucl's @uclstudentcent1. But has be been re-housed against his will? Let's check. 1/(Photo credit: @ChrisShoreFRICS)
Here are the instructions Bentham left in his will: 2/
Bentham's will calls for his body to be placed in "an appropriate box or case". Here is the original box, familiar to many of us, in which Jeremy resided until a few days ago. I believe it was designed by Bentham's "dear friend Doctor Southwood Smith", mentioned in his will. 3/
, familiar to many of us, in which Jeremy resided until a few days ago. I believe it was designed by Bentham's "dear friend Doctor Southwood Smith", mentioned in his will. 3/
Someone on Twitter (I can't find the tweet) complained that the new glass case is undignified & leaves Jeremy too exposed. Also drew an analogy to the panopticon. Perhaps, however, Jeremy would have found such transparency "appropriate" & fitting. 4/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panopticon
. Perhaps, however, Jeremy would have found such transparency "appropriate" & fitting. 4/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panopticon
But the new glass case appears to be missing the engraved plate called for in the will. @ucl & @uclnews, please rectify this ASAP! 5/5
. @ucl & @uclnews, please rectify this ASAP! 5/5
PS: As @timcrane102, a philosopher late of the @ucl parish, notes, it appears that the will may not allow for Jeremy's removal from the original box. https://twitter.com/timcrane102/status/1231480577087463425
, it appears that the will may not allow for Jeremy's removal from the original box. https://twitter.com/timcrane102/status/1231480577087463425
PPS: See also @birchlse's astute observation. https://twitter.com/birchlse/status/1231499257523449858
. https://twitter.com/birchlse/status/1231499257523449858
The new box reminds me of this: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-51478767
Okay, here's my "review" of the new Jeremy case, you've all been waiting for. I first went looking for the old, familiar cabinet. I found it closed & locked, in its familiar place, but with a forlorn, broken chair to the right
. 1/
. 1/
The large purple poster remains in situ to the left, with a fair amount of information & historical context. 2/
But they've added this "Where is Jeremy Bentham?"
sign, whose directions I dutifully followed. 3/
sign, whose directions I dutifully followed. 3/
And here he is! 4/
I tried to take a shot as close as possible to this official @ucl photo. It differs in two respects: mine's less well lit, and it includes a sign they've added. 5/ https://twitter.com/MikeOtsuka/status/1231474915745894402
. It differs in two respects: mine's less well lit, and it includes a sign they've added. 5/ https://twitter.com/MikeOtsuka/status/1231474915745894402
Contrary to the report below, from my perspective, the actual case looks very much like the above photos. I even looked at the case, and then the photos, and then back at the case, to confirm. 6/ https://twitter.com/JeremyBarraud/status/1231514814318567424
There are, as @JeremyBarraud reports, students studying and debating. And, as you can see, Jeremy is able to observe them. But the students seemed rather indifferent to his presence. 7/
. But the students seemed rather indifferent to his presence. 7/
I did overhear the reaction of a couple students as they stumbled upon him in for the first time in the new setting:
1st student: "Ah, there's Jeremy. He looks a bit less creepy, outside of that box."
2nd student: "Where's his [shrivelled] head?" (Starts looking, in vain.) 8/
1st student: "Ah, there's Jeremy. He looks a bit less creepy, outside of that box."
2nd student: "Where's his [shrivelled] head?" (Starts looking, in vain.) 8/
Here is the new sign. It's less informative than the old purple poster. 9/
My reaction is along lines of @GreggDCaruso's. The setting does make him look like a modern-day department store mannequin, but one that is selling a very out of fashion line of clothing. 10/ https://twitter.com/GreggDCaruso/status/1231562542239100929
The original setting was in the Wilkins Building, which was designed and whose portico and dome were built during Bentham's lifetime. Both Bentham and his glass and mahogany cabinet looked in place there. 11/
And as at least one commentator on this thread noted, he seemed more comfortable and at home in his cosy box with panelling that would have been familiar to him. 12/
I also liked the fact that the old cabinet is tucked away in a corner. People sought this spot out, in order to have a look at Jeremy. There was also a fair amount of space for people to gather & without disturbing others. 13/
When I ran open days for the admission of high school students into @UCL's philosophy degrees, I took them to this spot, talked about Jeremy, and then read out the famous passage ending with... 14/
"...the question is not, Can they reason? Nor, can they talk? But, can they suffer?" (which always made me a bit verklempt, which I had to make sure to hide from the teenagers). 15/
The new setting is less historically significant and special and harder to provide the destination of a pilgrimage to @ucl's 'spiritual founder'. Among other things, we'd get in the way of students going up & down the stairs & disturb the students studying nearby. 16/
I am, however, glad that the original case remains in situ. So it will be no problem for @ucl to bring Jeremy back home to his comfortable, familiar mahogany-paneled, glass cabinet. 17/
And then the empty perspex box in the @uclstudentcent1 could be transformed into something like the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square. The students of UCL could democratically decide on a rotation of displays to put into the box. I think Jeremy would approve 18/18
Have a look at this photo, of a pilgrimage to Jeremy that my LSE colleague Alex Voorhoeve took his students on less than four weeks ago! Those were the days.
Alex Voorhoeve has just read the thread and says he thinks it's probably no longer worth a pilgrimage.
.
PS: I'm sure Jeremy would have made the utilitarian case for the living to mask up. But not the dead. So yet another indignity. https://twitter.com/uclstudentcent1/status/1309169225743896577
. https://twitter.com/uclstudentcent1/status/1309169225743896577
