Utilitarianism - Ed. Heydt

ISBN-13: 9781551115016 / Angielski / Miękka / 2010 / 208 str.

John Stuart Mill

Opis

John Stuart Mill's Utilitarianism is a philosophical defense of utilitarianism, a moral theory stating that right actions are those that tend to promote overall happiness. The essay first appeared as a series of articles published in Fraser's Magazine in 1861; the articles were collected and reprinted as a single book in 1863. Mill discusses utilitarianism in some of his other works, including On Liberty and The Subjection of Women, but Utilitarianism contains his only sustained defence of the theory. In this edition, Colin Heydt provides a substantial introduction that will enable readers to understand better the polemical context for Utilitarianism--a context hinted at in chapter one but not made explicit. Heydt shows, for example, how Mill's moral philosophy grew out of political engagement, rather than out of a speculative interest in determining the nature of morality. Heydt also provides appendices that are meant to further assist readers in understanding Mill's intentions, audience (including opponents), and the meaning of his arguments.

Spis treści

Acknowledgements
Introduction
John Stuart Mill: A Brief Chronology
A Note on the Text

Utilitarianism

• Chapter I: General Remarks
  Chapter II: What Utilitarianism Is
  Chapter III: Of the Ultimate Sanction of the Principle of Utility
  Chapter IV: Of What Sort of Proof the Principle of Utility is Susceptible
  Chapter V: On the Connexion between Justice and Utility

Appendix A: Precedents

1. From Seneca, “On Benefits” (c. 60 CE)
2. From John Gay, “Preliminary Dissertation, Concerning the Fundamental Principle of Virtue or Morality” (1731)
3. From Joseph Butler, “Dissertation II: Of the Nature of Virtue” (1736)
4. From Jeremy Bentham, An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation (1789)
5. From William Whewell, Lectures on the History of Moral Philosophy (1852)
6. From Thomas Carlyle, “Signs of the Times” (1829)

Appendix B: Mill on Utilitarianism

1. From Mill’s Autobiography (1873)
2. From Mill’s Letters (1834–68)
3. From “Whewell on Moral Philosophy” (1852)
4. From “Auguste Comte and Positivism” (1865)

Appendix C: Reactions to Utilitarianism

1. From Henry Sidgwick, The Methods of Ethics (6th ed., 1901)
2. From Henry Sidgwick, Outlines of the History of Ethics (1886)
3. From G.E. Moore, Principia Ethica (1903)

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Index