Political Science 1020E Chapter Notes - Chapter 34-48: Jeremy Bentham, Philosophical Anarchism
15 Apr 2016
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He proposes that we appeal to the idea of individual consent by using social contracts, and that the state is only justi ed if every individual has consented to these social contracts. Locke puts a lot of weight on personal liberty and freedom, whereas other theorists, such as jeremy. Bentham with his utilitarian theory, places value on happiness. The task of justifying the state is referred to as the task of showing that there are universal political obligations (ex: they have the duty to obey land laws and pay taxes). Political obligation is the obligation to obey something because it is the law and not for any moral reason. Self-assumption principle: no one has duties until they have assumed those duties. If we cannot nd a way to justify the state then from a moral standpoint, anarchy is being forced upon us.
