Democracy and Empiricism

Smith's "invisible hand", even if interpreted as a heuristic device, as he likely intends, not as an actual entity, as some of his self-styled followers presume, introduces a factor of Justice into his system of profit-seeking.  Mill's 'general good', and his distinction between 'higher' and 'lower' pleasure, introduce objective normative principles into Bentham's Psychological Egoism.  Each variation by these prominent Political Empiricists implicitly acknowledges a significant shortcoming of that doctrine--that wish-expression does not suffice as a foundation of a Poltical Philosophy.  Thus, insofar as the essence of Democracy is such wish-expression, i. e. electoral processes, it shares that weakness.  Now, while Smith's device may itself be no more than another example of wishful thinking, Mill's measures suggest how Democracy can be salvaged--via Education that re-directs conduct beyond immediate data, i. e. towards more comprehensive personal or collective ends.  But, whether or not such cultivation can be based strictly on Empiricist premises is unclear.