Utilitarianism is one of the most important and influential secular philosophies of modern times, and has drawn considerable debate and controversy. Please subscribe or login to access full text content. However, the authors are more ambivalent about the contribution of christianity to utilitarianism. Access to the complete content on very short introductions online requires a subscription or purchase. You can read online utilitarianism a very short introduction very short introductions here in pdf, epub, mobi or docx formats. Strictly speaking, however, jurisprudence concerns the theoretical analysis of law at the highest level of abstraction e. In july 2017 her and singers second book was published utilitarianism. Whether youve loved the book or not, if you give your honest and detailed thoughts then people will find new books that are right for them. To maximize the sum total of welfare, utilitarianism requires one, sometimes, to violate others rights or other seeming moral constraints, such as the prohibition against lying or killing.
In order to navigate out of this carousel please use your heading shortcut key to navigate to the. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. One of the books authors, peter singer, is a very wellknown philosopher. Draws on recent findings in psychology and neuroscience and discusses their relevance to. Utilitarianism remains as influentialand controversialas it was when mill drew on it to argue for equality for women. Download pdf utilitarianism a very short introduction very. A very short introduction and millions of other books are available for amazon kindle. A very short introduction describes the nature, varieties, and justifications of utilitarianism, from its origins to arguments that draw on current research in neuroscience. A very short introduction very short introductions by rob ellam. A very short introduction very short introductions by peter k. A very short introduction very short introductions by peter a. The rights objection charges utilitarianism with being overly permissive. This very short introduction considers its origins, its relevance to modern moral challenges, and the arguments and discussions around utilitarian approaches.
Its a very concise book, but its intelligible and precise its very readable. Utilitarianism a very short introduction very short. Utilitarianism is a family of consequentialist ethical theories that promotes actions that maximize happiness and wellbeing for the affected individuals. Utilitarianism may well be the most influential secular ethical theo. Utilitarianism is an ethical theory that defends that we should act in ways that bring about as much happiness as possible in the world. Reviewed by richard weikart as the authors of this compact, useful introduction to utilitarianism indicate, one of the fundamental ideas behind most forms of utilitarianismthat pleasure is the highest moral goodcan be traced back to epicurus and his followers in ancient greece and rome. Great clarendon street, oxford, ox2 6dp, united kingdom oxford university press is a department of the university of oxford. I knew very little about the topic going in and feel like i have a good idea of the basics and terminology now. A very short introduction very short introductions 9780198728795. Utilitarianisms best known advocate, john stuart mill, characterizes utilitarianism as the view that an action is right insofar as it tends to produce pleasure and the absence of pain. Skip to main content accessibility help we use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading utilitarianism. Reviewed by richard weikart as the authors of this compact, useful introduction to utilitarianism indicate, one of the fundamental ideas behind most forms of utilitarianism that pleasure is the highest moral goodcan be traced back to epicurus and his followers in ancient greece and rome.
There is, we believe, a very good reason why utilitarianism has outlasted many of its. A very short introduction very short introductions ebook. By the lights of utilitarianism, a very effective way of doing good is by convincing others to try to do more good. Draws on recent findings in psychology and neuroscience and discusses their relevance to arguments for utilitarianism. Its given me a great starting point for thinking about what aspects of utilitarianism i find particularly interesting and want to read more about. A very short introduction describes the nature, varieties, and justifications of utilitarianism, from its origins to arguments that draw on current. Considering how utilitarians can respond to objections that are often regarded as devastating. Pdf utilitarianism download full pdf book download. Utilitarianism may well be the most influential secular ethical theory in the world today. This suggests that usually it would be naive for us to act in a way deemed very wrong on commonsense morality, under the impression this will bring about the best outcome. The day cannot be too far off in which we hear no more of it. Though this book promises a very short introduction to the philosophy of law, i use this phrase interchangeably with legal theory, legal philosophy, and jurisprudence.
This shopping feature will continue to load items when the enter key is pressed. Utilitarianism tells us that if torturing an innocent child to death would bring about better consequences than anything else we could do, then torturing an innocent child to death would be the right thing to do. Although different varieties of utilitarianism admit different characterizations, the basic idea behind all of them is to in some sense maximize utility, which is often defined in terms of wellbeing or related concepts. It clashes, or is widely thought to clash, with many conventional moral views, and with human rights when they are seen as inviolable. In 1780 bentham completed his introduction to the principles of morals and legislation, the work in which he most explicitly sets out the theory of utilitarianism. An introduction to utilitarianism jack coulson highbrow.
Considering how utilitarians can respond to objections that are often regarded as devastating, they explore the utilitarian. As the authors of this compact, useful introduction to utilitarianism indicate, one of the fundamental ideas behind most forms of utilitarianismthat pleasure is the. Download pdf utilitarianism a very short introduction. The six best books on utilitarianism the daily idea. A very short introduction utilitarianism may well be the most influential secular ethical theory in the world today. If happiness, conceived of as pleasure and the absence of pain, is the one thing that has value, then this criterion of right action should seem to. Thus, the best course of action for many people may be to develop and promote the ideas and values associated with utilitarianism or effective altruism. Other readers will always be interested in your opinion of the books youve read. It clashes, or is widely thought to clash, with many conventional moral views, and with human rights when. A very short introduction very short introductions customers who bought this item also bought. Considering how utilitarians can respond to objections that are often. It furthers the universitys objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide. A very short introduction is a part of a series of short introductory works, designed to provide basic overviews of their topics, published by oxford university press.