Utilitarianism as a Public Philosophy
Utilitarianism as a Public Philosophy
Utilitarianism, the great reforming philosophy of the nineteenth century, has today acquired the reputation for being a crassly calculating, impersonal philosophy unfit to serve as a guide to moral conduct. Yet what may disqualify utilitarianism as a personal philosophy makes it an eminently suitable guide for public officials in the pursuit of their professional responsibilities. Robert E. Goodin, a philosopher with many books on political theory, public policy and applied ethics to his credit, defends utilitarianism against its critics and shows how it can be applied most effectively over a wide range of public policies. In discussions of such issues as paternalism, social welfare policy, international ethics, nuclear armaments, and international responses to the environment crisis, he demonstrates what a flexible tool his brand of utilitarianism can be in confronting the dilemmas of public policy in the real world.
- Goodin is well-known writer in this field; he edits the Journal of Political Philosophy (Blackwell)
- Lots of policy application of the theory from social welfare to environmental policy and tort liability
- Interdisciplinary - philosophy, political science, law, and economics
Reviews & endorsements
"...I think that much of Goodin's book can be enjoyed and appreciated as a discussion of important public policy issues without looking for it to resolve the more contentious question of the defensibility of utilitarianism over nonutilitariansim, even with respect to just its public policy applications." James P. Sterba, Ethics
"...this book is notable for its optimism, detail, and scope." Samantha Brennan, Philosophy in Review
Product details
May 1995Hardback
9780521462631
368 pages
229 × 152 × 24 mm
0.71kg
Available
Table of Contents
- Part I. Introduction: Moral Bases of State Action:
- 1. Utilitarianism as a public philosophy
- 2. The state as a moral agent
- Part II. Morality, Public and Private:
- 3. Do motives matter?
- 4. Government house utilitarianism
- Part III. Shaping Private Conduct:
- 5. Responsibilities
- 6. Distributing credit and blame
- 7. Apportioning responsibilities
- Part IV. Shaping Public Policies: Section A. Respecting and overriding preferences:
- 8. Liberalism and the best-judge principle
- 9. Laundering preferences
- 10. Heroic measures and false hopes
- 11. Theories of compensation
- Section B. Ensuring social security:
- 12. Stabilising expectations
- 13. Compensation and redistribution
- 14. Basic income
- 15. Relative needs
- C. International ethics
- 16. What is so special about our fellow countrymen?
- 17. Nuclear disarmament as a moral certainty
- 18. International ethics and the environmental crisis
- References
- Index.
