本文從「普遍利益與個人利益之關係」這一角度，研究邊沁關於功利原則、自由、民主這三個概念的主張，貫穿全文的一項基本假定是：

「邊沁政治思想的重點，在於如何透過制度改革，達到兼顧普遍利益與個人利益的目的，個人利益指向個人價值，普遍利益指向社群整體的秩序，亦即如何在不侵害個人價值的前提下，維持社群秩序，以及在不損及社群秩序的同時，使個人價值得以確保。」

由此一基本假定，衍生為下列各章研究的重點：

第一章的研究要點在說明本文研究之目的與範圍，並討論有關資料，以指出邊沁生處的時代環境對其思想的影響。

第二章的研究重點在指出邊沁以人性趨樂避苦，作為功利原則的實然基礎，以行為後果的苦樂做為善惡判斷的標準，道德計算則是調和人性實然與行為應然的方法。另一方面，普遍利益乃功利原則的另一說法，而調和個人利益與普遍利益，即是調和個體價值與整體秩序之間的關係。

第三章的研究重點在指出邊沁對自由採消極性定義，自由不復為一自然權利，而是由法律所保障的安全，亦即免於個人與政治權力侵犯的保障，而出版與集會自由則是免於政治權力濫用的救濟之一。

第四章的研究重點在探討最大多數人的最大幸福之原則，與代議民主的關係，以指出就人性實際面而言，統治者必追求一己私利，而理想的政府目的應是最大多數人的最大幸福；為求調和這實然與應然的衝突，代議民主乃成為必需的制度。

第五章除提出筆者個人研究心得外，並嘗試將邊沁的思想做一綜合評論。

壹、書籍
(一)中文部份
1.江金太，歷史與政治（台北：桂冠，民國七十年）初版。
2.周德偉，功效主義重詁（作者自行出版）
3.浦薛鳳，西洋近代政治思潮（台北：中華文化出版事業委員會，民國四十二年）
4.Robert Nisbet 著，徐啟智譯，西方社會思想史（台北：桂冠，民國六十八年）
5.張家鳳，邊沁的政治思想研究（中國文化學院政治研究所碩士論文，民國六十三年）未出版
6.鄒文海，西洋政治思想史稿（台北：鄒文海先生獎學基金會，民國六十一年）初版。
7.Bertrand Russell 著，鍾建閎譯，西方哲學史（台北，中華文化出版事業委員會，民國四十四年二月）初版。
(二)英文部份
1. Baumgardt David , Bentham & the Ethics of Today (New York : Princeton University Press 1952 )
2. Bentham , Jeremy , The Works of Jeremy Bentham ( Edinburgh : Tait , 1838-1848 , repr. Russell & Russell Inc., 1962 )
3. Bentham , Jeremy, A Fragment on Government & An Introduction to the Principles of Morals & Legislation , ed., Wilfrid Harrison ( Oxford : Basil Blackwell, 1948 )
4. Bentham , Jeremy, The Limits of Jurisprudence Defined, ed, C.W. Everett (Westport Connecticut : Greenwood Press , 1970 )
5. Bentham , Jeremy Bentham’s Handbook of Political Fallacies , revised by Harold A. Larrabee ( New York : Thomas Y. Crowell Company , 1971 )
6. Bowie Norman E. & Robert L. Simon, The Individual & the Political Order : An Introduction to Social & Political Philosophy ( New Jersey : Prentice-Hall , Inc., 1977 )
7. Bronowski , J. & Bruce Mazlish , The Western Intellectual Tradition : From Leonardo to Hegel（台北：大同圖書公司，民國五十八年）
8. Coker Francis W., Recent Political Thought ( New York : Appleton- Century - Crofts, Inc., 1934 )
9. Flathman Richard E., The Public Interest : An Essay Concerning the Normative Discourse of Politics ( New York : John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1966 )
10. Gunn , J. A. W., Politics & the Public Interest in the Seventeenth Century( Toronto : University of Toronto Press, 1969)
11. Halevy, Elie , The Growth of Philosophic Radicalism ( Boston : The Beacon Press, 1960 )
12. Hamburger , Joseh , Intellectuals in Politics : John Stuart Mill & the Philosophic Radicals(New Haven : Yale University Press, 1965 )
13. Held , Virginia , The Public Interest & Individual interests ( N. Y. : Basic Books , Inc., 1970 )
14. Jones , W. T., Masters of Political Thought (Boston : Houghton Mifflin Company , 1966 ) Vol. Ⅱ.
15. Laski, Harold J., Political Thought in England : Locke to Bentham ( N.Y : Oxford Univ. Press 1920 )
16. Letwin , Shirley , The Pursuit of Certainty (Cambridge : Cambridge Univ. Press , 1965 )
17. Lively , Jack & Rees John ( eds. )Utilitarian Logic & Politics : James Mill’s " Essay on Government", Macaulay’s Critique & the Ensuing Debate ( Oxford : Clarendon Press, 1978 )
18. Long, Douglas G., Bentham on Liberty : Jeremy Bentham’s Idea of Liberty in Relation to His Utilitarianism ( Tornoto & Buffalo : the University of Tornoto press, 1977 )
19. Lyons, David, In the Interest of the Governed : A Study in Bentham’s Political Philosophy of Utility & Law ( Oxford : Oxford Univ. Press, 1973 )
20. Mack , Mary P. , Jeremy Bentham : An Odyssey of Idea ( N.Y. : Columbia Univ. Press , 1963 )
21. Manning , D. J., The Mind of Jeremy Bentham ( New York : Barnes & Noble , Inc., 1968 )
22. Miller, S. T., British Political History 1784-1939 ( London : Mac Donald & Evans , 1977 )
23. Parekh Bhikhu , Jeremy Bentham : Ten Critical Essays ( London : Frank Cass , 1974 )
24. Parkinson , C. Northcote, The Evolution of Political Thought ( Boston : The Riverside press,1958 )
25. Plamenatz , John , The English Utilitarians ( Oxford : Basil Blackwell , 1949 )
26. Rawls, John A Theory of Justice (台北雙葉翻印本，民國六十八年）
27. Rosenblum , Nancy L., Bentham’ s Theory of the Modern State ( London : Harvard University press, 1978 )
28, Steintrager , James, Bentham ( London : George Allen & Unwin Ltd., 1977 )
29. Stephon, Leslie , The English Utilitarians ( London : Duckworth & Co, 1900 , repr. University of London Press, 1950 ) 3. Vols.
30. Wanlass Lawrence G., Gettel’s History of Political Thought (台北：美亞，1972 )2nd. ed.
貳、期刊、報紙與文章
(一 )中文部份
1.江金太，“再論盧梭：自然人與社會人”國立政治大學學報，四十六期，民國七十一年十二月。
2.朱堅章，“浴克自由觀念之分析”國立政治大學學報，二十期，民國五十八年十二月。
3.朱堅章，“盧梭政治思想中自由觀念的分析”國立政治大學學報，二十六期，民國六十一年十二月。
(二)英文部份
1. Ayer , A. J., " The Principle of Utility in A. J. Ayer , Philosophical Essays ( London : Macmillan & Co., 1954 ) pp. 250-270.
2. Benditt Theodore M., " The Concept of Interest in Political Theory" Political Theory , Vol. 3, No. 3, August 1975 , pp. 245-258.
3. Budge , Ian, " Jeremy Bentham : A Re-evalution in the Context of Empirical Social Science " Political Studies , Vol. xix , No.1, 1971 , pp. 18-36.
4. Fisher , Mark , " Truth as a Problem for Utilitarianism " Mind , Vol. 89 , No. 354 , April 1980 , pp.249-255.
5.Fitzsimons, Matthew A., " The English Tradition of Authority " in George N. Shuster ( ed. ) Freedom & Authority in the West ( London : University of Notre Dame Press 1967 ) pp. 107-126.
6. Goldworth, Amnon, "Bentham’s Concept of Pleasure : Its Relation to Fictitious Terms" Ethics , Vol. 82 , No. 4 , July 1972 , pp. 334-343.
7. Gunn , J. A, W., " Jeremy Bentham & the Public Interest " Canadian Journal of Political Science, Vol. I, No. 4 , Dec. 1968 , pp. 398-413.
8. Heinberg , John Gilbert , "History of the Majority Principle "The American Political Science Review, Vol.. xx, No. 1 , February 1926 , pp. 52-68.
9. Himmelfarb, Gertrude, " Bentharn’ s Utopia : The National Charity Company " Journal of British Studies , Vol. 10 , November , 1970 , pp. 80-125.
10 James, Michael, " Public Interest & Majority Rule in Bentham’s Democratic Theory " Political Theory, Vol. 9, No. 1 , February 1981 , pp. 49-64.
11. Kort , Fred, " The Issue of a Science of Politics in Utilitarian Thought " The American Political Science Review , Vol. xlvi , 1952, pp. 1140-52.
12. Kramnick, Isaac, " Religion & Radicalism: English Political Theory in the Age of Revolution " Political Theory Vol. 5 , No. 4, November , 1977 , pp. 505-34.
13. Niemeyer, Gerhart, " Public Interest & Private Utility " in Carl J. Friedrich ( ed. ) The Public Interest ( New York : Atherton Press, 1962 ) pp.1-13.
14. Oppenheim, Felix E., " Self Interest & Public Interest " Political Theory , Vol. 3 , No. 3, August 1975 , pp. 259-276.
15. Palmer, Paul A., " Benthamism in England & America " The American Political Science Review Vol. xxxv, No.5, October 1941 , pp.855-871.
16. Parekh, Bhikhu , " Bentham’s Theory of Equality " Political Studies , Vol. xviii , No.4, 1970, pp. 478-495.
17. Peardon, Thomas P. " Bentham’s Ideal Republic" Canadian Journal of Economics & Political Science, Vol. 18, 1951 , pp. 184-203.
18. Roberts, David, " Jeremy Bentham & the Victorian Administrative State " Victorian Studies , Vol. 11 , No.3 , March 1959 , pp. 193-208.
19. Rockow , Lewis, " Bentham on the Theory of Second Chambers " The American Political Science Review , Vol. xxii , No. 3, August 1928 , pp.576-590.
20. Rosen, Fredrick, " Jeremy Bentham : Recent Interpretations " Political Studies , Vol. xxx, No.4 , 1983, pp. 557-581.
21. Sartorius, Rolf, " Individual Coduct & Social Norms : A Utilitarian Account " Ethics , VoI. 82, No. 3 , April 1972 , pp. 200-218.
22. Singer, Marcus G. " Actual Consequence Utilitarianism " Mind , Vol. 86 , No. 341 , January 1977, pp.67-77.
23. Tarlton, Charles D. " The Overlooked Strategy of Bentham’s Fragment on Government " Political Studies Vol. xx, No.4, 1972 , pp. 397-406.
24. Wallace, Graham, " Jeremy Bentham " Political Science Quarterly , Vol. 38 , March 1923 , pp. 45-56.
25. Weinstein , W. L .," The Concept of Liberty in Nineteenth Century English Political Thought" Political Studies , Vol. xiii , No. 2 , 1965, pp. 145-162.