The Ethics of Voting

By Jason Brennan


I. Good Intentions Aren’t Enough
Betty Benevolence wants to save the world. Yet she has crazy ideas about how to do it.
When she sees a starving child, she steals his remaining food. When she sees someone in pain, she kicks him in the shins. When she sees a drowning man, she pours water on his face. When she sees a burning house, she douses it with gasoline. Betty always intends to help people, but she always harms them.
Few people act like Betty in their daily lives. Yet, at the polls, most citizens act just like Betty Benevolence. They vote with good intentions, but they don’t know what they’re doing. They do more harm than good.
In The Ethics of Voting, I ask: How dare they do that?
Mais