The Politics of Happiness and the Practice of Democracy

This dissertation is concerned with the implications for political theory of different ways of conceptualizing happiness, and, in particular, the significance of those conceptions for democratic theory and practice. The bulk of the dissertation proceeds through a close examination of the work of William Thompson, an important 19th century Irish theorist and activist whose work has been largely overlooked, and his better-known friend and mentor Jeremy Bentham. In addition to presenting the most extensive consideration of Thompson's political thought to date, the juxtaposition of Thompson with Bentham sheds new light on some of the central elements of Bentham's thought, particularly regarding the nature of happiness and its relationship to pleasure and well-being.;At its most basic level, the dissertation seeks to understand why it is that, while both Bentham and Thompson seek "the greatest happiness," the conclusions they reach about the best means for achieving it are radically different: Bentham's theory is an important contribution to liberal capitalist ideology and mainstream democratic thought, while Thompson lays the foundations for cooperative socialism and radical democracy. The dissertation argues that these differences arise because, in contrast to Bentham's individualistic hedonism, Thompson understands happiness as a deeply social concept, the nature of which is strongly affected by the institutions that structure social interaction.;The dissertation proceeds in seven chapters. The first chapter introduces the idea that happiness wears two faces: one that looks toward pleasure (hedonism), and one that looks toward well-being (eudaemonism). It also includes a brief biography of Thompson, a discussion of some controversies surrounding Bentham's work, and some background on the concept of happiness from a historical perspective and in the contemporary social science literature.;The next two chapters are concerned with the abstract philosophical question of the nature of happiness. Chapter Two presents the argument that although Bentham's concept of happiness is clearly hedonistic, associating happiness closely with pleasure, it retains elements of eudaemonism in its attachment to well-being as the ultimate end of human endeavor.;Chapter Three shows that, although Thompson retains elements of Bentham's hedonism, his theory is strongly eudaemonistic, as he equates happiness directly with well-being. The social character of eudaemonism is emphasized, particularly in Thompson's adoption of the "philosophy of necessity," or the idea that individual character is a product of one's (social) circumstances. In contrast with Bentham, Thompson argues that the key to the greatest happiness lies in aligning self-interest with social interest through institutions based on principles that promote cooperation and social cohesion. This chapter also considers ways in which the contemporary literature on well-being---this time "objective well-being"---parallel Thompson's arguments regarding the importance of social institutions, security and equality.;Chapters Four and Five build on the abstract philosophical discussion of the prior chapters to consider Bentham's and Thompson's political theories, focusing in particular on Thompson's work. Chapter Four is concerned with their theories of utility, closely examining the principles they articulate that are subsidiary to utility, as these can be understood as its necessary conditions.;Building on their theories of utility, Chapter Five shows that democracy is purely instrumental in Bentham's theory, but central for Thompson. Bentham may be considered a "mainstream" democratic theorist in contemporary terms, as his vision of democratic practices extends only so far as the governance of the state, with little role for the public other than as voters. Thompson, on the other hand, is what we might call today a "radical" democrat, as he considers democracy to be as much a principle of social interaction as a mode of governance. Thompson recognizes, however, that democratic practices must take place within the context of social institutions.;Chapter Six completes the turn from theory to practice, and here the dissertation is solely concerned with Thompson's work and the historical movement associated with it. Thompson's role in the early British cooperative movement has been largely overlooked in favor of Robert Owen, but the chapter shows that Thompson's contributions were at least as important as Owen's in forming the ideological foundations for the movement.;The concluding chapter argues that happiness is an essentially contested concept, and summarizes the commonalities and differences between Bentham's and Thompson's work. It also considers the implications of Thompson's theory for understanding the political character of the cooperative movement today, and further directions for research, including historical research on Thompson's contribution to classical political economics, and, with regard to using Thompson as a basis for further development of a political theory of cooperatives, further research on radical democracy and community theory. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)...