Utilitarianism as a Public Philosophy
Part of Cambridge Studies in Philosophy and Public Policy
- Author: Robert E. Goodin, Australian National University, Canberra
- Date Published: September 1995
- availability: Available
- format: Paperback
- isbn: 9780521468060
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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.
Read more- 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
'… there is a great deal in this richly argued book for both moral philosophers and social scientists in general.' Roger Crisp, The Times Literary Supplement
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×Product details
- Date Published: September 1995
- format: Paperback
- isbn: 9780521468060
- length: 368 pages
- dimensions: 227 x 152 x 23 mm
- weight: 0.504kg
- availability: 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.
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