Jeremy Bentham and the Public Opinion Tribunal
In: Public opinion quarterly: journal of the American Association for Public Opinion Research, Band 63, Heft 3, S. 321-346
ISSN: 0033-362X
Well-known as the father of utilitarian philosophy, Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832) is less well-known as a pioneer theorist of public opinion. His work on the subject in the early 19th century was the first to tolerate the indeterminacy of public opinion in a liberal democracy. Where previous theorists had tried to specify the content of a "true" or "correct" public opinion, & most did so by imposing conditions on membership in "the public," Bentham argued that the public opinion necessary in a representative democracy must be unfettered & inclusive. For Bentham, the Public Opinion Tribunal, constantly judging government, was the most important social institution in preventing "misrule." As a liberal, Bentham championed public opinion as inherently progressive: he thought it would eventually coincide with his utilitarian ethical standard, the greatest happiness of the greatest number. Its operation, however, depends on the freedom of the press to investigate & publicize government actions to facilitate a form of public debate mediated through newspapers. Considered broadly, Bentham's public opinion has much in common with the arguments of much recent empirical work on the subject. His theory, however, is dated by its inability to adequately consider some of the problems that occupy modern theorists of public opinion: deliberation, rational ignorance, media vacuity or manipulation, & the tyranny of the majority. 50 References. Adapted from the source document.