TY - BOOK ID - 78073496 TI - Understanding utilitarianism PY - 2007 SN - 1317493397 1317493400 1315711923 1282943383 9786612943386 1844653900 9781315711928 9781317493389 9781317493396 9781844650897 9781844650903 9781317493402 9781282943384 6612943386 9781844653904 PB - Durham : Acumen Publishing, DB - UniCat KW - Utilitarianism. KW - Ethics KW - Hedonism KW - Philosophy UR - https://www.unicat.be/uniCat?func=search&query=sysid:78073496 AB - Utilitarianism – a philosophy based on the principle of the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people – has been hugely influential over the past two centuries. Beyond ethics, utilitarian assumptions and arguments abound in modern economic and political life, especially in public policy. An understanding of utilitarianism is indeed essential to any understanding of contemporary society. Understanding Utilitarianism presents utilitarianism very much as a living tradition. The book begins with a summary of the classical utilitarianism of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries while subsequent chapters trace the development of the central themes of utilitarian thought over the twentieth century. Questions covered include: What is happiness? Is happiness the only valuable thing? Is utilitarianism about acts or rules or institutions? Is utilitarianism unjust, or implausibly demanding, or impractical? Where might utilitarianism go in the future? ER -