Kamil Aksiuto
Beyond Utilitarianism? Beyond Democracy? [View PDF]
ABSTRACT
Classical utilitarianism was one of the first comprehensive, modern doctrines which provided justification for the establishment of democracy. John Stuart Mill is usually considered to be an heir of this intellectual tradition, yet his mature political theory exhibits many significant diversions from the utilitarian orthodoxy. In this essay I undertake a venture of examining what is the upshot of these differences for political philosophy. I argue that J. S. Mill’s account as exemplified in his late work Considerations on Representative Government cannot be squared with the classical utilitarian approach. This is because the former is almost exclusively preoccupied with the educational aspect of politics while in the latter, mainly due to its hedonism and consequentialist structure, these educational concerns are almost altogether absent. I also tackle a distinct yet related question in what sense, if any, the younger’s Mill theory of government can be considered democratic?
Keywords: civic education, democracy, elitism, liberalism, J. S. Mill, participation, representative government, utilitarianism