''The Ethics of Voting'' by
Jason Brennan
Jason F. Brennan (born 1979) is an American philosopher and business professor. He is currently the Robert J. and Elizabeth Flanagan Family Professor of Strategy, Economics, Ethics, and Public Policy at the McDonough School of Business at George ...
is a book which outlines a contrasting argument to the idea that it is the
civic duty
Civic engagement or civic participation is any individual or group activity addressing issues of public concern. Civic engagement includes communities working together or individuals working alone in both political and non-political actions to ...
of individuals within a democracy to vote. The core tenet upon which his argument resides is that the individuals who do not know what they are voting for should not feel the moral obligation to vote on issues about which they are uninformed, and that democracies would benefit as a whole from their abstaining from the polls.
Topics
In addition to the recurring theme that uninformed voting is worse than nonvoting, Brennan discusses the negative effects of voter negligence, or religious motivations for individuals to vote. Also included is a chapter on the morality of
vote buying Vote buying (also referred to as electoral clientelism and patronage politics) occurs when a political party or candidate distributes money or resources to a voter in an upcoming election with the expectation that the voter votes for the actor handi ...
and why Brennan argues it is justifiable under certain circumstances. And the morality for the "Lesser of two evils" Justification. In the paperback edition there is also an afterword by Brennan titled "How to Vote Well".
Reception
While the book was widely well received as a new way of considering one's civic duty, there have been criticisms of his work. Chad Flanders' review of ''The Ethics of Voting'' in the ''Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews'' praises the book as a whole but also states that Brennan seems to enjoy being contrarian a little too much. However Flanders admits that the contrarian nature of the writing serves to make the book more entertaining to read.
Ilya Somin
Ilya Somin (born 1973) is a law professor at George Mason University, an adjunct scholar at the Cato Institute, a blogger for the Volokh Conspiracy, and a former co-editor of the '' Supreme Court Economic Review'' (2006–2013). His research focu ...
, author of ''
Democracy and Political Ignorance'', wrote an ultimately positive review of the book for the
Volokh Conspiracy
The Volokh Conspiracy ( ) is a blog co-founded in 2002 by law professor Eugene Volokh, covering legal and political issues from an ideological orientation it describes as "generally Libertarianism in the United States, libertarian, Conservatism i ...
but also said that Brennan never states which topics a voter should try to focus on in order to become an "Informed Voter". He also states that Brennan's ideas are not very different from
John Stuart Mill
John Stuart Mill (20 May 1806 – 7 May 1873) was an English philosopher, political economist, Member of Parliament (MP) and civil servant. One of the most influential thinkers in the history of classical liberalism, he contributed widely to ...
’s analysis of the moral duties of voters in his work ''
Considerations on Representative Government
''Considerations on Representative Government'' is a book by John Stuart Mill published in 1861.
Summary
Mill argues for representative democracy, representative government, the ideal form of government in his opinion. One of the more notable id ...
''. Mill's argument, in section ten of the 1861 essay Considerations on Representative Government, is that an extra set of votes should be apportioned to the highly educated in order that they may ensure the safety and well being of the country.
Both Josh Rothman with ''
The Boston Globe
''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...
'' and Alan Haworth with ''
The Philosophers' Magazine
''The Philosophers' Magazine'' (''TPM''), an independent quarterly magazine founded in 1997, aims to provide a venue for philosophy in an accessible and entertaining format. The founders were Julian Baggini and Jeremy Stangroom. The magazine i ...
'' praised the book for its new take on democratic engagement.
See also
* ''
The Myth of the Rational Voter
''The Myth of the Rational Voter: Why Democracies Choose Bad Policies'' is a 2007 book by the economist Bryan Caplan, in which the author challenges the idea that voters are reasonable people whom society can trust to make laws. Rather, Caplan co ...
'' by Bryan Caplan
* ''
Considerations on Representative Government
''Considerations on Representative Government'' is a book by John Stuart Mill published in 1861.
Summary
Mill argues for representative democracy, representative government, the ideal form of government in his opinion. One of the more notable id ...
'' John Stuart Mill
* ''
The Problem of Political Authority
''The Problem of Political Authority: An Examination of the Right to Coerce and the Duty to Obey'' is a book by University of Colorado philosophy professor Michael Huemer released in January 2013. The first part of the book argues in detail for Hue ...
'' by
Michael Huemer
Michael Huemer (; born 27 December 1969) is a professor of philosophy at the University of Colorado, Boulder. He has defended ethical intuitionism, direct realism, libertarianism, veganism, and philosophical anarchism.
Education and career
Hue ...
References
{{Reflist, 30em
Books about democracy