0415095271.Routledge.Utilitarianism.Jun.1996.pdf

Utilitarianism

This is the first general overview in many years of the history and the

present condition of utilitarian ethics. Unlike other introductions to the

subject, which narrowly focus on the Enlightenment and Victorian eras,

Utilitarianism takes a wider view. Geoffrey Scarre introduces the major

utilitarian philosophers from the Chinese sage Mo Tzu in the fifth century

BC through to Richard Hare in the twentieth.

But Scarre not only surveys the history of the ‘doctrine of utility’; in

later chapters he also enters the current debates on the viability of the

theory.

Utilitarianism today faces challenges on several fronts: its opponents

argue that it lacks a credible theory of value, that it fails to protect the

essential interests of individuals and that it denies them the space to pursue

the personal concerns that give meaning to their lives. Geoffrey Scarre

examines and discusses these charges, but he concludes that, despite the

flaws of utilitarian theory, its positions are still relevant and significant

today.

Written especially with undergraduates in mind, this is an ideal course

book for those studying and teaching moral philosophy.

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.

The Problems of Philosophy

Founding editor: Ted Honderich

Editors: Tim Crane and Jonathan Wolff, University College London

This series addresses the central problems of philosophy. Each book gives a

fresh account of a particular philosophical theme by offering two perspectives

on the subject: the historical context and the author’s own distinctive and

original contribution.

The books are written to be accessible to students of philosophy and related

disciplines, while taking the debate to a new level.

DEMOCRACY*

Ross Harrison

THE EXISTENCE OF THE

WORLD*

Reinhardt Grossman

NAMING AND REFERENCE

R.J.Nelson

EXPLAINING EXPLANATION*

David-Hillel Ruben

IF P, THEN Q*

David H.Sanford

SCEPTICISM

Christopher Hookway

HUMAN CONSCIOUSNESS

Alastair Hannay

THE IMPLICATIONS OF

DETERMINISM

Roy Weatherford

THE INFINITE*

A.W.Moore

KNOWLEDGE AND BELIEF

Frederic F.Schmitt

KNOWLEDGE OF THE

EXTERNAL WORLD

Bruce Aune

MORAL KNOWLEDGE*

Alan Goldman

MIND-BODY IDENTITY

THEORIES*

Cynthia Macdonald

THE NATURE OF ART*

A.L.Cothey

PERSONAL IDENTITY*

Harold W.Noonan

POLITICAL FREEDOM

George G.Brenkert

THE RATIONAL FOUNDATIONS

OF ETHICS*

T.L.S.Sprigge

PRACTICAL REASONING*

Robert Audi

RATIONALITY*

Harold I.Brown

THOUGHT AND LANGUAGE*

J.M.Moravcsik

THE WEAKNESS OF THE WILL

Justine Gosling

VAGUENESS

Timothy Williamson

PERCEPTION

Howard Robinson

THE NATURE OF GOD

Gerard Hughes

* Also available in paperback

Utilitarianism

Geoffrey Scarre

London and New York

First published 1996

by Routledge

11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE

This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2002.

Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada

by Routledge

29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001

Routledge is an International Thomson Publishing company.

or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means,

now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording,

or in any information storage or retrieval system, without

permission in writing from the publishers.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data

Scarre, Geoffrey.

Utilitarianism/Geoffrey Scarre.

1. Includes bibliographical references and index. 2. Ethics.

3. Utilitarianism. I. Title.

BJ1012.S336

1995

171’.5–dc20

95–38889

CIP

ISBN 0-415-09527-1 (hbk)

ISBN 0-415-12197-3 (pbk)

ISBN 0-203-21376-9 Master e-book ISBN

ISBN 0-203-21388-2 (Glassbook Format)

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