01. Welcome

This website deals with the influence of Jeremy Bentham’s political philosophy on the political culture and the institutions of Australia. Bentham believed that society should be ordered to create the greatest happiness.

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The categories 01 to 08 in the sidebar were added 28-10-07 and I have only begun filling them.

Jeremy Bentham’s auto-icon sits at University College London.

Australian politics is played out as a tension between releasing the energy of the individual, and harnessing some of the product of that energy to assist in creating the greatest happiness in society. Capitalism generates the wealth, and helps fulfill individual aspirations. Government allocates part of that wealth to programs designed to better the society.

The tension in Australia between private enterprise and government intervention is represented by the two major parties, Liberal and Labor. When in government Liberals tend to favour private enterprise, while Labor tends to favour, well, labour. At least that is the rhetoric. The Australian people tend to kick governments out when they stray too far from the intermediate path, particularly when living standards are threatened. Governments know this, and act accordingly.

Australians tend to expect more from their government than do the citizens of , for example, Britain or the USA. This expectation can be traced back to the early days of the European settlement of Australia, and to the Benthamite policy and political agitation of the time.

From experience it appears that a fully functioning and healthy democracy is a necessary condition of a Benthamite society. No other system has been shown to be as effective in providing the greatest happiness. From the late 18C, Bentham and Benthamites developed democratic theory and institutions, and were at the forefront of the implementation of democracy, and subsequent legislative reforms.

The Australian commitment to democracy from the 1840s was significantly influenced by British Benthamites such as Charles Buller, J. S. Mill, and E.G. Wakefield. Later Australians influenced by Benthamite thought include Kingston and Deakin. The Chartists too, important in the development of Australian democracy, were significantly influenced by Benthamite thought. Two of the three authors of the Charter were key Benthamites. Both Fabianism and laissez faire economics owe a significant debt to Benthamites.

Social policy and government action in this country derive in good measure from Benthamite thought. Benthamite thought includes the elevation of self-interest. It is broadly allied with Adam Smith’s economic philosophy, also based on self-interest. However achieving the greatest happiness does not rely on any particular economic model, and in practice appears to require a mixed economic system.

This website commenced in June 2007. It is a work-in-progress. On it you will find a growing number of transcripts of works which highlight the Benthamite contribution to Australia, as well as interpretive work which seeks to make the argument that Australia has been substantially, even overwhelmingly, influenced by Benthamite thought. The case is not difficult to make owing to the number of works up to 1915, and even beyond, which directly reference and describe the influence in Australia of Benthamite ideas.

The broad position of the site is that this Benthamite influence has been a good thing. It is difficult to argue against the proposition that government, and society generally, should be ordered in such a way as to produce the greatest happiness. How can this be achieved? Well, Australia serves as one model, and a pretty successful model at that.

Your comments on the material at this website are highly appreciated.

(Below) Bentham at around 40 years old.

Bentham as 13 year old, by Thomas Frye