Utilitarianism

Geoffrey Scarre is Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Durham. He is the author of Logic and Reality in the Philosophy of John Stuart Mill and the editor of Children. Parents and Politics.

'This is an excellent introduction to and survey of utilitarianism, and important current in contemporary ethical theory.' - Philosophia, The Philosophical Quarterly of Israel, 27, 3-4 Nov.1999

• Preface -- I Introduction: The Character of the Theory -- II Four Ancient Moralists -- 1 MoTzu -- 2 Jesus -- 3 Aristotle -- 4 Epir:urus -- III Utilitarianism and Enlightenment -- I Chastellux and Helvetius -- 2 Hutcheson -- 3 Hume -- 4 Priestley and Paley -- 5 Godwin -- 6 Bentham -- IV John Stuart Mill -- I Early years -- 2 James Mill -- 3 The importance of character -- 4 Higher and lower pleasures -- 5 The 'proof of utility' -- 6 Utility and justice -- V Some Later Developments -- I Intuitional utilitarianism: Sidgwick -- 2 Ideal Utilitarianism: Moore and Rashdall -- 3 Rule-utilitarianism -- VI Happiness and Other Ends -- I Preference and happiness -- 2 Dominant- and inclusive-end conceptions of happiness -- 3 Problems about multiple ends -- 4 Two contrasting responses -- VII Maximisation, Fairness and Respect for Persons -- I Is utilitarian justice just? -- 2 Panem et circenses -- 3 'Whoever debases others is debasing himself' -- 4 But should the consequences count? -- 5 Limitations of the self-respect argument -- 6 Archangels, proles and the natural man -- VIII Utilitarianism and Personality -- I Does utilitarian morality demand too much? -- 2 The hard line: utilitarians should be saints -- 3 A softer line: utilitarians may be human -- 4 Maximisation and alienation -- 5 Non-alienating direct utilitarianism -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index.