Majorities and Minorities: Nomos XXXII

2. Majorities and Minorities: A Classical Utilitarian View

2 MAJORITIES AN D MINORITIES : A CLASSICAL UTILITARIA N VIE W F R E D E R I C K R O S E N A traditional criticism of utilitarianism ha s focused o n its alleged inability t o provid e a n adequat e theoretica l foundatio n fo r se curing individua l right s an d th e protectio n o f minorities . Th e very phrase , "th e greates t happines s o f th e greates t number, " has bee n interprete d a s a clea r declaratio n o f majorit y ascen dancy . This criticism ma y be traced t o the heart of utilitarianis m in Joh n Stuar t Mill' s notio n o f th e "tyrann y o f th e majority, " which Mil l regarde d a s a partia l criticis m o f th e utilitaria n the ory of government tha t he inherited fro m Jeremy Bentha m an d James Mill . The objec t of this chapter i s to examine the proble m of majorit y rul e an d minorit y right s fro m th e perspectiv e o f the classical formulation o f utilitarianism, especially that of Ben tham an d t o a certai n exten t Joh n Stuar t Mill , an d t o sugges t that man y commo n criticism s o f thei r approac h t o majoritie s and minoritie s are without foundation . I. MAJORITIE S AN D MINORITIE S I N PRACTIC E Classical utilitarianism 1 addresse s th e relatio n betwee n majori ties and minoritie s o n tw o levels, the practica l an d th e theoreti - Majorities and Minorities: A Classical Utilitarian View 2 5 cal. O n th e practica l level , th e majorit y i s a devic e tha t ma y b e useful i n makin g decisions , bu t n o mor e importan t tha n othe r devices. Bentham, fo r example , was interested i n the distinctio n between comparative and absolut e majorities i n his Constitutional Code, but h e wa s fa r mor e intereste d i n th e distinctio n betwee n open an d secre t votin g an d eve n i n th e us e o f chanc e o r lo t i n reaching decisions. 2 Nor , a s a democrat, wa s he especiall y com mitted t o th e ide a o f majorit y rule . Al l government , includin g representative democracy , was minority government, tha t of th e "ruling few" over the "subject many." Representative democrac y was considere d superio r t o othe r form s o f government , no t because o f a suppose d ascendanc y o f th e majority , bu t becaus e it wa s abl e t o mak e a "rulin g few " mor e accountabl e t o th e "subject many " tha n othe r form s o f government . Wher e Ben tham criticize d th e doctrin e o f th e separatio n o f power s fo r allowing a minorit y vet o o f legislation , hi s criticis m wa s base d more o n th e lin k h e sa w betwee n minorit y contro l an d th e operation o f "siniste r interests " tha n o n an y commitmen t t o "majority rule." 3 To emphasiz e Bentham' s indifferenc e t o th e concep t o f ma jority rule, consider the following passag e that appears in manu scripts writte n a s a commentar y o n th e first Gree k constitutio n (the Constitution o f Epidaurus of 1 January 1822 ) that exclude d Muslims and Jews from citizenshi p and office . The exclusio n pu t o n thi s occasio n upo n s o larg e a par t perhaps th e larges t par t o f th e existin g populatio n i s a t present i t would see m an unavoidabl e arrangemen t bu t i t is a highl y deplorabl e one . I t entail s upo n th e countr y th e existing division , reversin g...