Nudges and the limits of appropriate interference: reading backwards from J.S. Mill’s harm principle to Jeremy Bentham’s indirect legislation

ABSTRACT

The starting point of the present paper is the nudge phenomenon. The most disturbing element of nudge is its potential for individual manipulation, that is, for relying on initiatives that go beyond the acceptable limits of interference in individual choice. This feature is not ignored by nudge advocates, who discuss it extensively to justify the overriding benefits of such initiatives. In this discussion, they acknowledge the seminal importance of J.S. Mill’s harm principle, which is introduced in On Liberty. Academics without hidden agendas must look into Mill’s theories from an intellectual history perspective and study to what extent Mill’s harm principle lends support to the interference of government and society in private lives. This paper first unveils some contradictions in the interpretation of Mill’s harm principle in order to show that it is an unlikely source of philosophical justification for nudge proponents. The paper argues further that Mill was familiar with Jeremy Bentham’s writings on indirect legislation, presented in the Traités de legislation civile et pénale. It pinpoints elements of indirect legislation that are discussed by Mill in On Liberty, without ever naming them as such. The paper contends that Mill’s presentation of the harm principle can be read as a discussion with Bentham in relation to the appropriate limits of government intervention in people’s lives. This double reading of Mill and Bentham through the lens of indirect legislation makes it possible to pinpoint the main differences between the authors as regards the appropriate degree of government interference. Bentham’s theories appear to be a more appropriate source of philosophical justification for the use of nudges than Mill’s harm principle.     

Real-Time Dynamic Hybrid Testing Coupling Finite Element and Shaking Table

In this article, a Simulink simulation block with the finite element function is developed on the basis of S-function and implemented as the numerical substructure of real-time dynamic hybrid testing. Thereby, a real-time dynamic hybrid testing system coupling finite element calculation and shaking table testing is achieved. Using the developed system, a shear frame mounted on the soil foundation is tested, in which the shear frame is simulated as the physical model and the foundation is simulated as the finite element model with 132 degrees of freedom. Several cases of the dynamic behavior of soil-structure interaction are studied.     

故宫古建筑内温湿度问题初探

博物馆的环境应当相对稳定且有益于文物的保存。故宫博物院作为古建筑博物馆,其特殊性在于古建筑本身也是文物,虽然自身条件较差,但又不能随意改变其外观和结构,导致其保存环境往往不够理想。在研究中论述了故宫古建筑的环境特点,结合在古建筑内文物环境监测和控制方面的若干问题进行有益的探讨,对原状陈列的古建筑温湿度调控的应用效果进行了分析和评估,指出了存在的问题,并提出了对古建筑中环境控制的思考。采用密封性能优良的展柜配合适当的调湿材料可以很好地稳定相对湿度,减少温度变化对相对湿度造成的影响,这是当前国际上文物微环境控制的一个发展方向。     

GIS技术在萨拉乌苏考古遗址公园规划设计中的应用

传统规划设计工作的技术平台多以计算机辅助设计(CAD)为主,本工作以内蒙古自治区鄂尔多斯萨拉乌苏考古遗址公园规划为例,将Arc GIS Desktop作为技术平台应用到公园的规划设计工作中。首先,通过对规划区的实地踏勘,采集相关数据和资料,进行规划区数据库建设;其次,在数据库建设的基础上,通过GIS技术构建与现实环境对应的虚拟地理信息空间,实现规划区景观的三维可视化;最后,利用三维景观模型对现实地理环境进行模拟、分析及虚拟场景飞行。不同于传统CAD的二维工作平台,本工作借助GIS对空间数据和属性数据的强大处理功能及其三维景观可视化模块,为实现内蒙古鄂尔多斯萨拉乌苏考古遗址公园的科学规划提供辅助。     

国家文化公园:理论溯源、现实问题与制度探索

"十三五"以来,我国文化遗产保护事业进入新阶段,但是文化遗产管理体系复杂、多头管理、权责不明等问题一直未得到解决.因此,国家文化公园建设过程中,应首先理顺国家文化公园与既有遗产保护体系之间的逻辑与关系,建立以重大文化遗产为主体的国家文化公园体系;以保护传承为首要目标,构建统一规范高效的国家文化公园管理体制;突出国家代表...     

试论19世纪30～40年代法国共和运动的勃兴

19世纪30~40年代是近代法国社会、经济发展和变化的重要时期。在这个时期,资产阶级共和派为继承大革命精神、发扬共和原则和实现共和制度,进行了持续的斗争,共和运动因此勃兴。这场共和运动方式多样,派别众多,为法国最终确立共和制度打下了坚实的理论和群众基础。     

内乡县衙建置沿革与现存遗迹考

内乡县衙所存遗迹是清末章炳焘时代留下的。清末县衙的东西两路与明代及清光绪重建前大不相同。今天按照明清两代地方志复原的建筑群,不仅与章炳焘所留的清末旧衙署基本没有什么关系,与历史记载中的明内乡县衙也相去甚远。鉴于该衙正成为史学界研究明清官僚政体的新史料,弄清楚它的沿革、遗迹和现状间的关系是必要的。中国衙署建筑所存遗迹极稀贵,如内乡县衙可反映行政制度变迁者更少,故应特别慎重对待。     

西方来华传教士与近代中国科举制度改革

西方传教士来华后,科举制度就成了他们关注的焦点。传教士对科举制度的审视,进一步暴露了科举制度的内在弊端,增强了科举改革的紧迫性;传教士对科举改革的设想,丰富了科举改革的思想,指明了科举改革的方向;传教士的宣传活动,促进了国人思想观念的解放,推动了科举改革的进程。然而,传教士毕竟不是科举改革的主角,其作用与影响终究是有限的。     

中朝日近代世界秩序观的形成与外交取向比较研究

19世纪中后期,西力东侵,维系原来中国、朝鲜和日本三国关系的条件发生了变化,东亚地区三个古老的国家开始相继实现对外开放的历史进程。三国在向近代外交迈进的过程中表现出不同的姿态。中朝两国的统治者都不能以对世界变局的正确认识以及健康的心态迎接来自西方的挑战,融入新的国际秩序。只有日本在新的形势面前适时摒弃传统的世界观,以近代世界观看待东亚秩序问题,进而建立一个以日本为中心的东亚新秩序。三国在19世纪中后期不同的外交取向,与其是否能够与时俱进,形成近代世界秩序观有着直接的关系。     

The Impact of Global Financial Crisis on the Mechanism of Economic Growth in Russia

A noted specialist on the Russian economy presents an assessment of the impact of the global financial crisis on the mechanism of the country's economic growth. Focusing on the demand side of the economic ledger, the author explores the question of whether Russia will be able to re-attain the high economic growth rates of the period from 2000 to 2007 after recovering from the crisis. The paper analyzes the sharp drop in production in 2008 and the first quarter of 2009, attributing most of the damage to liquidity problems and declines in the price of oil. Empirical evidence is based primarily on data collected by the author from the Central Bank of Russia and the country's federal bureau of statistics (Rosstat). Journal of Economic Literature, Classification Numbers: E010, E200, E660, F210, G010. 11 figures, 3 tables, 29 references.