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Guides for the Perplexed
Utilitarianism: A Guide for the Perplexed
Utilitarianism is the ethical theory advanced by Jeremy Bentham, J.S. Mill, and Henry Sidgwick and has contributed significantly to contemporary moral and political philosophy. Yet it is not without controversy and is a subject that students can often find particularly perplexing. Utilitarianism: A Guide for the Perplexed offers a concise, yet fully comprehensive introduction to utilitarianism, its historical roots, key themes, and current debates.
Krister Bykvist provides a survey of the modern debate about utilitarianism and goes on to evaluate utilitarianism in comparison with other theories, in particular virtue ethics and Kantianism. Bykvist offers a critical examination of utilitarianism, distinguishing problems that are unique to utilitarianism from those that are shared by other moral theories. Focusing on the problems unique to utilitarianism, the book provides a well-balanced assessment of where the theory goes astray and is in need of revision. Geared towards the specific requirements of students who need to reach a sound understanding of utilitarianism, this book serves as an ideal companion to study of this influential and challenging of philosophical concepts.
Krister Bykvist provides a survey of the modern debate about utilitarianism and goes on to evaluate utilitarianism in comparison with other theories, in particular virtue ethics and Kantianism. Bykvist offers a critical examination of utilitarianism, distinguishing problems that are unique to utilitarianism from those that are shared by other moral theories. Focusing on the problems unique to utilitarianism, the book provides a well-balanced assessment of where the theory goes astray and is in need of revision. Geared towards the specific requirements of students who need to reach a sound understanding of utilitarianism, this book serves as an ideal companion to study of this influential and challenging of philosophical concepts.
- GenresPhilosophy
184 pages, Paperback
First published December 17, 2009
58 people want to read
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Contents
Bykvist K (2010) Utilitarianism - A Guide for the Perplexed
Acknowledgements
01. Introduction
02. The Nature and Assessment of Moral Theories
• Normative ethics
• Moral theory and the criterion of rightness
• How to test moral theories
• • (1) Theoretical
• • • (a) Clarity
• • • (b) Simplicity
• • • (c) Explanatory power and scope
• • • (d) Internal coherence
• • • (e) Moral coherence
• • (2) Practical
• Suggested reading
03. What is Utilitarianism?
• The basic elements of utilitarianism
• Historical background
• The appeal of utilitarianism
• • (a) Clarity
• • (b) Simplicity
• • (c) Explanatory power
• • (d) Internal coherence
• • (e) Moral coherence
• • (f) Consistent prescriptions
• Alternatives to utilitarianism
• Non-utilitarian consequentialism
• Deontological theories
• Kantianism
• Virtue ethics
• Suggested reading
04. Well-Being
• The concept of well-being
• Theories of well-being
• Hedonism
• Problems for hedonism
• • False pleasures
• • Well-being on a rainy day
• Attitudinal hedonism to the rescue?
• Desire-based theories
• Problems for desire-based theories
• • All too narrow view of well-being?
• • Disinterested desires
• • Self-sacrifice
• • Uninformed desires
• Ideal desires versus actual desires
• Common problems for subjective accounts of well-being
• • Malevolent pleasures and desires
• • Adaptive pleasures and desires: the Stoic Slogan
• Objective well-being theories to the rescue?
• Hybrid account
• Concluding remarks
• Suggested reading
05. Utilitarian Aggregation
• Sum-ranking
• Utilitarians care too little about the well-being of individual people
• Utilitarians do not take seriously the distinction between persons
• Utilitarians treat persons as receptacles of well-being
• Equality and priority
• Measuring well-being
• Concluding remarks
• Suggested reading
06. A User-Friendly Guide to Action?
• We cannot know what we ought to do
• • (a) The importance of future suffering
• • (b) Unclear and vague crucial terms
• • (c) Weighing prima facie duties
• • (d) Exceptions
• • (e) Knowledge about the past
• • (f) Knowledge about your own psychological make-up
• • (g) Knowledge about external features of the action other than its effects
• Two responses
• • (1) Blame us, not the theory
• • (2) Blame the theory, not us
• Objectivist replies
• Have the objective ought and eat it too. The distinction between objective and subjective rightness
• A problem case for objectivism
• We cannot be motivated to do what we ought to do
• Utilitarianism condemns itself as a guide to action
• Concluding remarks
• Suggested reading
07. Is Utilitarianism Too Demanding?
• Heroism
• Your money and charity
• Everyday life
• Utilitarian responses
• • (a) Ought entails can
• • (b) Distinguish wrongness from blameworthiness
• • (c) Morality is demanding but not overriding
• • (d) Reject maximizing, accept satisficing
• • (e) Utilitarianism is not as demanding as we might think
• Non-utilitarian demands
• Beyond the call of duty
• Can utilitarians be good friends?
• Concluding remarks
• Suggested reading
08. Is Utilitarianism Too Permissive?
• Constraints
• • The promise
• • The car accident
• • The judge
• • The transplant
• Utilitarian responses
• Special obligations to our nearest and dearest
• Utilitarian responses
• Can constraints and special obligations be built into the good?
• Trade-off problems
• Can constraints and special duties be justified?
• Concluding remarks
• Suggested reading
09. The Way Outcomes are Brought About
• The Trolley problem
• Act-utilitarian replies
• (1) Doing harm versus allowing harm
• • The bystander case
• (2) Intending harm versus foreseeing harm
• • The Loop case
• (3) Treating people merely as means/treating people as ends
• Concluding remarks
• Suggested reading
10. The Place of Rules in Utilitarianism
• Rule utilitarianism
• The collapse argument
• Compliance versus acceptance
• Advantages of rule-utilitarianism
• Objections to rule-utilitarianism
• • Poor guide to action
• • Partial compliance
• • Disaster prevention
• No best system of rules
• Closer to common sense?
• Do rule-utilitarians care too little about well-being?
• The place of rules in act-utilitarianism
• Concluding remarks
• Suggested reading
11. Conclusions
Notes
Index
Contents
Bykvist K (2010) Utilitarianism - A Guide for the Perplexed
Acknowledgements
01. Introduction
02. The Nature and Assessment of Moral Theories
• Normative ethics
• Moral theory and the criterion of rightness
• How to test moral theories
• • (1) Theoretical
• • • (a) Clarity
• • • (b) Simplicity
• • • (c) Explanatory power and scope
• • • (d) Internal coherence
• • • (e) Moral coherence
• • (2) Practical
• Suggested reading
03. What is Utilitarianism?
• The basic elements of utilitarianism
• Historical background
• The appeal of utilitarianism
• • (a) Clarity
• • (b) Simplicity
• • (c) Explanatory power
• • (d) Internal coherence
• • (e) Moral coherence
• • (f) Consistent prescriptions
• Alternatives to utilitarianism
• Non-utilitarian consequentialism
• Deontological theories
• Kantianism
• Virtue ethics
• Suggested reading
04. Well-Being
• The concept of well-being
• Theories of well-being
• Hedonism
• Problems for hedonism
• • False pleasures
• • Well-being on a rainy day
• Attitudinal hedonism to the rescue?
• Desire-based theories
• Problems for desire-based theories
• • All too narrow view of well-being?
• • Disinterested desires
• • Self-sacrifice
• • Uninformed desires
• Ideal desires versus actual desires
• Common problems for subjective accounts of well-being
• • Malevolent pleasures and desires
• • Adaptive pleasures and desires: the Stoic Slogan
• Objective well-being theories to the rescue?
• Hybrid account
• Concluding remarks
• Suggested reading
05. Utilitarian Aggregation
• Sum-ranking
• Utilitarians care too little about the well-being of individual people
• Utilitarians do not take seriously the distinction between persons
• Utilitarians treat persons as receptacles of well-being
• Equality and priority
• Measuring well-being
• Concluding remarks
• Suggested reading
06. A User-Friendly Guide to Action?
• We cannot know what we ought to do
• • (a) The importance of future suffering
• • (b) Unclear and vague crucial terms
• • (c) Weighing prima facie duties
• • (d) Exceptions
• • (e) Knowledge about the past
• • (f) Knowledge about your own psychological make-up
• • (g) Knowledge about external features of the action other than its effects
• Two responses
• • (1) Blame us, not the theory
• • (2) Blame the theory, not us
• Objectivist replies
• Have the objective ought and eat it too. The distinction between objective and subjective rightness
• A problem case for objectivism
• We cannot be motivated to do what we ought to do
• Utilitarianism condemns itself as a guide to action
• Concluding remarks
• Suggested reading
07. Is Utilitarianism Too Demanding?
• Heroism
• Your money and charity
• Everyday life
• Utilitarian responses
• • (a) Ought entails can
• • (b) Distinguish wrongness from blameworthiness
• • (c) Morality is demanding but not overriding
• • (d) Reject maximizing, accept satisficing
• • (e) Utilitarianism is not as demanding as we might think
• Non-utilitarian demands
• Beyond the call of duty
• Can utilitarians be good friends?
• Concluding remarks
• Suggested reading
08. Is Utilitarianism Too Permissive?
• Constraints
• • The promise
• • The car accident
• • The judge
• • The transplant
• Utilitarian responses
• Special obligations to our nearest and dearest
• Utilitarian responses
• Can constraints and special obligations be built into the good?
• Trade-off problems
• Can constraints and special duties be justified?
• Concluding remarks
• Suggested reading
09. The Way Outcomes are Brought About
• The Trolley problem
• Act-utilitarian replies
• (1) Doing harm versus allowing harm
• • The bystander case
• (2) Intending harm versus foreseeing harm
• • The Loop case
• (3) Treating people merely as means/treating people as ends
• Concluding remarks
• Suggested reading
10. The Place of Rules in Utilitarianism
• Rule utilitarianism
• The collapse argument
• Compliance versus acceptance
• Advantages of rule-utilitarianism
• Objections to rule-utilitarianism
• • Poor guide to action
• • Partial compliance
• • Disaster prevention
• No best system of rules
• Closer to common sense?
• Do rule-utilitarians care too little about well-being?
• The place of rules in act-utilitarianism
• Concluding remarks
• Suggested reading
11. Conclusions
Notes
Index
April 15, 2015
A fine, no-nonsense introduction to utilitarianism. The book starts from the very basics, but there's no fluff. In many places, you may feel that the author has read your mind -- predicted your objection(s) to the ideas exactly, and begun addressing them -- the sure sign of solid technical writing. The exposition is also very careful to highlight both strong and weak points of the theories.
Do make sure to look at the author's name before you start, though, or you may find yourself a bit confused about who this random character in the example ethical dilemmas are.
Do make sure to look at the author's name before you start, though, or you may find yourself a bit confused about who this random character in the example ethical dilemmas are.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews