Utilitarianism, Hedonism, and Desert: Essays in Moral Philosophy

by Fred Feldman

Overview

Fred Feldman has made a substantial contribution to utilitarian moral philosophy. In this collection, ten previously published essays plus a new introductory essay reveal the striking originality and unity of his views. Feldman's utilitarianism differs from traditional forms in that it evaluates behavior by appeal to the values of accessible worlds. He also deals with problems of justice affecting standard forms of utilitarianism. The collection is suited for courses on contemporary utilitarian theory.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521598422
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	08/13/1997
Series:	Cambridge Studies in Philosophy
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	236
Product dimensions:	5.47(w) x 8.43(h) x 0.59(d)

Table of Contents

Introduction; Part I. Utilitarianism: 1. World utilitarianism; 2. On the extensional equivalence of simple and general utilitarianism; 3. The principle of moral harmony; 4. On the consistency of act and motive utilitarianism; Part II. Hedonism: 5. Two questions about pleasure; 6. Mill, Moore, and the consistency of qualified Hedonism; 7. On the intrinsic value of pleasures; Part III. Desert: 8. Adjusting utility for justice; 9. Desert: reconsideration of some received wisdom; 10. Justice, desert, and the repugnant conclusion; Index of subjects; Index of persons; Index of cases.

Editorial Reviews

"Considered individually, the essays are of a very high quality. They set out the problems they deal with in an exceptionally clear way, and the conclusions reached are always well defended. Considered as a whole, the collection is equally impressive. The attempt to reconcile consequentialism and deontology is a strength of Feldman's view. It also makes less plausible Feldman's claim that utilitarianism is the best expression of the intuition that we ought to do the best we can. In any case, it surely makes the collection of even more interest." Dialogue

From the Publisher