Book contents
- Bentham on Democracy, Courts, and Codification
- Bentham on Democracy, Courts, and Codification
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Contributors
- Introduction
- Part I Democracy
- 1 Intellectual Aptitude and the General Interest in Bentham’s Democratic Thought
- 2 Bentham, Democracy, Free Government, and the Relationship between Rulers and Ruled
- 3 The Interests of Women in Bentham’s Late Constitutional Thought
- 4 Religion and Judgement in Bentham’s Political Thought
- 5 Organizing the Utilitarian State
- 6 Bentham on the Corruption of Democracy
- 7 The People’s ‘Greatest Misfortune’ and ‘All the Chance the People Have’
- Part II Law and the Courts
- Part III Codification
- Bibliography
- Index
6 - Bentham on the Corruption of Democracy
from Part I - Democracy
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 25 August 2022
- Bentham on Democracy, Courts, and Codification
- Bentham on Democracy, Courts, and Codification
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Contributors
- Introduction
- Part I Democracy
- 1 Intellectual Aptitude and the General Interest in Bentham’s Democratic Thought
- 2 Bentham, Democracy, Free Government, and the Relationship between Rulers and Ruled
- 3 The Interests of Women in Bentham’s Late Constitutional Thought
- 4 Religion and Judgement in Bentham’s Political Thought
- 5 Organizing the Utilitarian State
- 6 Bentham on the Corruption of Democracy
- 7 The People’s ‘Greatest Misfortune’ and ‘All the Chance the People Have’
- Part II Law and the Courts
- Part III Codification
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
The purpose of this chapter is to explore Bentham’s observation of the tendency of representative democracy towards corruption. In his constitutional theory, Bentham’s chief concern is to prevent corruption, and he consistently maintains that the antidote for that political evil is representative democracy. However, Bentham indicates that representative democracy is not immune from corruption, and I suggest that this insight is derived from his observation of the dynamic processes of politics. For that reason, Bentham’s constitutional theory can be interpreted as an analysis of political processes and an offering of normative guidance on them and their development as influenced by the political psychology of members of political society.
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- Bentham on Democracy, Courts, and Codification , pp. 134 - 156Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2022
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