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Utilitarianism and Empire
Author(s): Bart Schultz (Editor), Georgios Varouxakis
- Publisher: Lexington Books (UK)
- Publication Date: 28 Aug. 2005
- Language: English
- Print length: 274 pages
- ISBN-10: 0739105752
- ISBN-13: 9780739105757
Book 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.
Editorial Reviews
Review
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.
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.
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.
About the Author
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.
