Utility and Democracy

An historical account of the political thought of Jeremy Bentham. It shows how Bentham's insights in the fields of logic and language led to the first defence of democracy from a utilitarian perspective, and to the creation of the philosophic radicals, dedicated to political, legal, ecclesiastical, and social reform.

Professor Schofield's volume spans Bentham's notoriously long and full writing career, giving a vivid account of the work of young projector and old Radical alike. Anyone who wants to know Bentham better (and we all have a lot yet to lear) should ready this book.

Vorwort
Winner: W. J. M. Mackenzie Book Prize

Autorentext
Philip Schofield joined the Bentham Project, based at University College London, in 1984. He joined the Faculty of Laws as a Lecturer in 1993, and was subsequently appointed to a Readership and then to a personal Chair in the History of Legal and Political Thought. He was appointed Joint General Editor, with Frederick Rosen, of The Collected Works of Jeremy Bentham in 1995, and has been sole General Editor since 2003. He has been Director of the Bentham Project since 2001.

Klappentext
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 Professor Schofield draws on his extensive knowledge of Bentham's unpublished manuscripts and original printed texts, and on the new, authoritative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 andminimize government 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 Br

Inhalt
1. Real and Fictitious Entities; 2. The Principle of Utility; 3. Natural Law and Natural Rights; 4. The French Revolution; 5. The Emergence of Sinister Interest; 6. Parliamentary Reform; 7. The Church; 8. Colonies and Constitutional Law; 9. Codification, Constitutional Law, and Republicanism; 10. Publicity, Responsibility, and the Architecture of Government; 11. The Antidote to Sinister Interest: Official Aptitude; 12. The Politics of Law Reform; 13. Last Things; Bibliography; Index

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