Consequentialism

Darwell, Stephen (Editor)

Blackwell Readings in Philosophy

1. Edition September 2002
312 Pages, Hardcover
Wiley & Sons Ltd

ISBN: 978-0-631-23107-3

John Wiley & Sons

Further versions

Consequentialism collects, for the first time, both the main classical sources and the central contemporary expressions of this important position. Edited and introduced by Stephen Darwall, these readings are essential for anyone interested in normative ethics.

* Edited and introduced by Stephen Darwall, examines key topics in the consequentialist branch of moral theory.

* Includes seven essays which respond to the classic sources.

* Includes an insightful discussion of central topics in consequentialism by John Rawls and Amartya Sen.

* Includes classic articles by key figures such Jeremy Bentham, John Stuart Mill, Henry Sidgwick and G. E. Moore; and recent reactions to this work by philosophers including Philip Pettit, Derek Parfit, Samuel Scheffler, Peter Railton, R. B. Brandt, J. C. Harsanyi, and Robert Adams.

Acknowledgments.

Introduction.

Part I: Classical Sources:.

1. From An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and
Legislation: Jeremy Bentham.

2. From Utilitarianism: John Stuart Mill.

3. From Dr Whewell on Moral Philosophy: John Stuart
Mill.

4. From The Methods of Ethics: Henry Sidgwick.

5. From Principia Ethica: G. E. Moore.

Part II: Contemporary Expressions:.

6. Consequentialism: Philip Pettit.

7. From The Rejection of Consequentialism: Samuel
Scheffler.

8. From Reasons and Persons:Derek Parfit.

9. Alienation, Consequentialism, and the Demands of Morality:
Peter Railton.

10. Bayesian Decision Theory and Utilitarian Ethics: John C.
Harsanyi.

11. Toward a Credible Form of Utilitarianism: Richard B.
Brandt.

12. Motive Utilitarianism: Robert Adams.

Part III: Contemporary Discussion:.

13. Classical Utilitarianism: John Rawls.

14. Utilitarianism and Welfarism: Amartya Sen.

Index.

'A judicious selection, which offers not only a broad view of
the main lines of consequentialist thought and its history, but an
insight into significant recent developments within the tradition,
and some widely discussed objections to it.' Roger Crisp,
St Anne's College

'Darwall's collection is ideal for a variety of
undergraduate and graduate courses in ethical theory in which
consequentialism is a central topic. It contains generous excerpts
from the main historical proponents of consequentialism and a
well-chosen selection of contemporary expressions and discussions
of consequentialism.' David O. Brink, University of
California, San Diego

Stephen Darwall is the John Dewey Collegiate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Michigan. He has written widely on moral philosophy and its history, and is the author of Impartial Reason (1983), The British Moralists and the Internal 'Ought': 1640-1740 (1995), Philosophical Ethics (1998), and Welfare and Rational Care (2002). He is the editor, with Allan Gibbard and Peter Railton, of Moral Discourse and Practice (1997).

S. Darwell, University of Michigan