Utilitarianism as a Public Philosophy

Goodin defends utilitarianism and shows how it can serve as an excellent guide to public policy makers.

Robert E. Goodin (Author)

9780521468060, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 26 May 1995

368 pages
22.7 x 15.2 x 2.3 cm, 0.504 kg

'… 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

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.

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.

Subject Areas: Ethics & moral philosophy [HPQ]