Bentham and the oppressed

Abstract

One of the most controversial and stimulating subjects of the debate, which has characterized Bentham studies in the last thirty years, has been that of defining clearly the boundaries between his utilitarian philosophy and classical liberalism, in the political as well as in the economic fields. Revisionism1 in Bentham studies has touched particularly on questions concerning the passage from a self-interested, individualistic psychology to a normative concern for the greatest happiness of the greatest number, discussing Bentham’s notions of liberty, of the role of the State, of social justice, of ‘influence’, i.e. briefly, of the relationship between individuals and the State. The present work aims to make a contribution to this debate, by analysing these themes from a new perspective, that of Bentham’s attitude towards the oppressed as a whole, and towards definable groups, and appraising his proposals, general and particular, towards remedying their situation. It is generally agreed that Bentham exhibits an attitude of generic solidarity towards the oppressed: but what has not so far been brought properly to light and analysed in detail, is how this solidarity is expressed, how far it is extended, and what are the limits and contradictions to be discerned in this attitude, when compared to the rest of Bentham’s utilitarian theory. Furthermore, while single aspects of his attitude towards certain categories of oppressed people have to some extent been studied, his general attitude towards the oppressed as a whole has never been subject to a rigorous scrutiny. From the philosophical point of view, the present study is an attempt to throw new light on the internal consistency of Bentham’s system, by analysing, on the one hand, the link between the principles on which his attitude towards the different categories of oppressed persons is based and the more general principles of his utilitarianism; on the other hand, by comparing the consistency of these principles with Bentham’s practical suggestions to remedy their situation — that is, by testing the coherence between Bentham’s theory and the practice he recommends.