JSB170 Lecture Notes - Good Governance, James Mill, Jeremy Bentham
Document Summary
Beccaria asserts that in every human society, there are people who will always try and gain power and happiness at the sacrifice of others. The purpose of good law is to oppose these efforts. However, due to mans" selfish nature, good governance is often resisted and as a result, people suffer. It is only after many mistakes and suffering that people will submit to governance. The role of good governance is to distribute the greatest happiness and good to the greatest number of people, also known as utilitarianism. Utilitarianism: the ethical theory proposed by jeremy bentham and james mill that all action should be directed toward achieving the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people. If we look to our history, we"ll likely find that laws have been created by the few in positions of power and imposed upon the masses, and usually serve the interests of the minority that created it.
