Political Science · Western Political Thought
UGC NET December 2015 Political Science
Which of the following thinkers held the view that the probable mischiefs of obedience are less than the probable mischiefs of resistance?
AJ. S. Mill
BJames Mill
CBentham ✓ Correct
DBlackstone
Correct answer: (C) Bentham — The thinker who held that obedience is owed only while the mischiefs of obedience are less than the mischiefs of resistance is Jeremy Bentham.
Explanation
★The thinker who held that obedience is owed only while the mischiefs of obedience are less than the mischiefs of resistance is Jeremy Bentham.
★Bentham makes political obligation a matter of utility, not of contract or natural duty.
★A subject should obey government so long as the probable harm of resistance outweighs the probable harm of obedience.
★When the costs of obedience come to exceed those of resistance, disobedience becomes justified on utilitarian grounds.
★James Mill and J. S. Mill extended utilitarianism, while William Blackstone, the jurist, was a target of Bentham's criticism, not the author of this calculus.
★This utilitarian test of obedience contrasts with the social-contract grounds offered by Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau.
Want more like this? Create a free account to practise a full test, track your progress, and get spaced-repetition review.
Shared by Mcqkart · via Mcqkart.in