Utilitarianism as a Public Philosophy (Cambridge Studies in Philosophy and Public Policy)
Cambridge University Press, 7/27/1995
EAN 9780521462631, ISBN10: 0521462630
Hardcover, 368 pages, 22.9 x 15.2 x 2.4 cm
Language: English
Originally published in English
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.