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Utility and Democracy - The Political Thought of Jeremy Bentham (Hardcover, New)
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Utility and Democracy - The Political Thought of Jeremy Bentham (Hardcover, New)
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This book is the first comprehensive historical account of the
political thought of Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832), the philosopher
and reformer. Professor Schofield draws on his extensive knowledge
of Bentham's unpublished manuscripts and original printed texts,
and on the new, authoritative edition of The Collected Works of
Jeremy Bentham. A compelling narrative charts the way in which
Bentham applied his utilitarian philosophy to the rapidly changing
circumstances of his age.
Professor Schofield begins with a lucid account of Bentham's
insights in the fields of logic and language, and in particular his
theory of real and fictitious entities, which lie at the foundation
of his thought. Professor Schofield proceeds to show how these
insights brought Bentham to the principle of utility, which led him
in turn to produce the first systematic defence of democracy from a
utilitarian perspective. In contrast to previous scholarship, which
claims that Bentham's 'conversion' or 'transition' to political
radicalism took place either at the time of the French Revolution
or following his meeting with James Mill in 1808 or 1809, Professor
Schofield shows that the process began in or around 1804 when the
notion of sinister interest emerged in Bentham's thought. Bentham
appreciated that rulers, rather than being motivated by a desire to
promote the greatest happiness of those subject to them, aimed to
promote their own happiness, whatever the overall cost to the
community.
In his constitutional writings of the 1820s, which he addressed to
'all nations professing liberal opinions', Bentham argued that the
proper end of constitutional design was to maximize official
aptitude and minimizegovernment expense, and that the publicity of
official actions, within the context of a republican system of
government where sovereignty lay in the people, was the means to
achieve it. Bentham's commitment to radical reform led him to
advocate the abolition of the British monarchy and House of Lords,
the replacement of the Common Law with a codified system of law,
and the 'euthanasia' of the Anglican Church.
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