Utilitarianism and Empire
Published on 29. August 2005
Book
Hardback
274 pages
978-0-7391-0575-7 (ISBN)
Description
The classical utilitarian legacy of Jeremy Bentham, J. S. Mill, James Mill, and Henry Sidgwick has often been charged with both theoretical and practical complicity in the growth of British imperialism and the emerging racialist discourse of the nineteenth century. But there has been little scholarly work devoted to bringing together the conflicting interpretive perspectives on this legacy and its complex evolution with respect to orientalism and imperialism. This volume, with contributions by leading scholars in the field, represents the first attempt to survey the full range of current scholarly controversy on how the classical utilitarians conceived of 'race' and the part it played in their ethical and political programs, particularly with respect to such issues as slavery and the governance of India. The book both advances our understanding of the history of utilitarianism and imperialism and promotes the scholarly debate, clarifying the major points at issue between those sympathetic to the utilitarian legacy and those critical of it.
Reviews / Votes
Ultimately, the test of a good book lies not only in the debates it is able to reconcile, but also those into which it breathes fresh life. On both counts, this collection admirably succeeds, and it would make a very worthwile addition to a reading course in modern intellectual history. * Victorian Studies * This book is a welcome return to the views of classical utilitarians on empire and imperialism....It is most successful in constructing a conversation, sometimes muted, at times agitated, between the various papers. Most edited collections faile to createsuch a reading experience, and the editors are to be commended for choosing the right authors and papers and for organising the book in a logical fashion....<Utilitarianism and Empire successfully provides a welcome fresh look at and an excellent introduction to the complex and multifaceted relationships between utilitarianism, race and empire... -- Casper Sylvest, 2010 * The Journal Of Utilitas * The relationship between classical utilitarianism and empire is a fascinating issue which has been ignored or misunderstood for far too long. This wide-ranging and scholarly collection of essays is much to be welcomed and should be read by anyone interested in this significant chapter in the history of ideas. -- Dr. Roger Crisp, St. Anne's College This book is a welcome return to the views of classical utilitarians on empire and imperialism....It is most successful in constructing a conversation, sometimes muted, at times agitated, between the various papers. Most edited collections faile to create such a reading experience, and the editors are to be commended for choosing the right authors and papers and for organising the book in a logical fashion.... successfully provides a welcome fresh look at and an excellent introduction to the complex and multifaceted relationships between utilitarianism, race and empire. -- Casper Sylvest, 2010 * The Journal Of Utilitas *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 157 mm
Thickness: 21 mm
Weight
600 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-7391-0575-7 (9780739105757)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Bart Schultz | Georgios Varouxakis
Utilitarianism and Empire
E-Book
08/2005
1st Edition
Lexington Books
€47.49
Available for download
Persons
Bart Schultz is Fellow and Lecturer in the Humanities Division and Humanities Collegiate Division, and Special Programs Coordinator in the Graham School of General Studies, at the University of Chicago. He is also the winner of the Jacques Barzun Prize in Cultural History, in recognition of his book Henry Sidgwick - The Eye of the Universe: An Intellectual Biography (Cambridge University Press, 2004). Georgios Varouxakis is Senior Lecturer in the History Department of Queen Mary, University of London.
Content
Chapter 1 Introduction
Chapter 2 Jeremy Bentham on Slavery and the Slave Trade
Chapter 3 Jeremy Bentham: Legislator of the World
Chapter 4 James Mill's The History of British India: The Question of Utilitarianism and Empire
Chapter 5 Mill on Happiness: The Enduring Value of a Complex Critique
Chapter 6 Liberalism's Limits: Carlyle and Mill on "The Negro Question"
Chapter 7 Empire, Race, and Euro-centrism: John Stewart Mill and His Critics
Chapter 8 Chairing the Jamaica Committee: J. S. Mill and the Limits of Colonial Authority
Chapter 9 The Early Utilitarians, Race, and Empire: The State of the Argument
Chapter 10 Imagining Darwinism
Chapter 11 Sidgwick's Racism
Chapter 2 Jeremy Bentham on Slavery and the Slave Trade
Chapter 3 Jeremy Bentham: Legislator of the World
Chapter 4 James Mill's The History of British India: The Question of Utilitarianism and Empire
Chapter 5 Mill on Happiness: The Enduring Value of a Complex Critique
Chapter 6 Liberalism's Limits: Carlyle and Mill on "The Negro Question"
Chapter 7 Empire, Race, and Euro-centrism: John Stewart Mill and His Critics
Chapter 8 Chairing the Jamaica Committee: J. S. Mill and the Limits of Colonial Authority
Chapter 9 The Early Utilitarians, Race, and Empire: The State of the Argument
Chapter 10 Imagining Darwinism
Chapter 11 Sidgwick's Racism