What would any rational person believe to be worth wanting or working for? Viewed from the standpoint of ethics and empirical psychology, how would such a person define and explain the morally right and the just?And what system of morals would rational people select as the best for the society? Essential to what is important in traditional philosophical inquiries, these questions and others are pursued in "A Theory of the Good and the Right", Richard B. Brandt's now classic work, based on his Oxford lectures.Using a contemporary psychological theory of action and of motivation, Brandt argues that rational people would choose a utilitarian moral code that the purpose of living should be to strive for the greatest good for the largest number of people. He discusses the concept of welfare, the prospects for the interpersonal comparison and measurement of utility, the implications of the relevant form of rule utilitarianism for the theory of distributive justice, and the possibilities of conflict between utilitarian moral codes and the dictates of self-interest.
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1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I must demur,
By
This review is from: A Theory of the Good and the Right (Paperback)
I read this book a long time ago, and furthermore I reject utilitarianism. Even so, I feel compelled to praise this book now if only to counterbalance the only other review herein. I remember being mightily impressed by the book when I read (and reread) it. I would justify that reaction now by noting that this was a pioneering effort to inform philosophy with empirical findings. That is now the rage if not yet the norm. Willard van Orman Quine had famously called for the "naturalizing" of philosophy, particularly in epistemology. Brandt heeded that call in ethics. I consider this book to have been state of the art at the time of its original publication. How it fares now I am not in a position to say.
1 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Hume is turning in his grave,
This review is from: A Theory of the Good and the Right (Paperback)
David Hume is easily my favorite philosopher, so when I read of a "humean" modern moral philosopher, I jumped on this book. Unfortunately, I was terribly disappointed. When I read Brandt's belief that everyone in society should receive the same income, I could read no more. Hume would have been horrified by such an idea. Hume's moral theory was based on benevolence, but it was based on utility as well. Hume would have had some clue as to the complete disaster to the economy, and the incredible amount of power this would have placed in the federal government's hands. It never ceases to amaze me how naive modern philosophers can be when it comes to basic political economy.
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MORAL PHILOSOPHY has traditionally been a systematic attempt to answer some questions of apparently universal interest about: what is worth wanting or working for; what is the best thing for an agent to do from his own point of view; what is morally right; and what is morally just. Read the first page Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Neal Miller, Peter Singer, Professor Rawls, Bishop Butler, Henry Sidgwick, Kurt Lewin, Miss Jones, New York, Palo Alto, Coca Cola, Karl Duncker, Thomas Nagel New!
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MORAL PHILOSOPHY has traditionally been a systematic attempt to answer some questions of apparently universal interest about: what is worth wanting or working for; what is the best thing for an agent to do from his own point of view; what is morally right; and what is morally just. Read the first page Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Neal Miller, Peter Singer, Professor Rawls, Bishop Butler, Henry Sidgwick, Kurt Lewin, Miss Jones, New York, Palo Alto, Coca Cola, Karl Duncker, Thomas Nagel New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 76
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- Classical Conditioning by William F. Prokasy on 5 pages
- Methods of Ethics by Henry Sidgwick in Front Matter, page 289, and Back Matter
- Child Devel & Personality by Mussen in Back Matter (1), Back Matter (2), and Back Matter (3)
- A Theory of Justice by John Rawls in Front Matter, and Back Matter
- Child Development by Brown in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
See all 76 books this book cites
- Contemporary Ethics: Taking Account of Utilitarianism (Contemporary Philosophy) by William Shaw on 8 pages
- Value and Justification: The Foundations of Liberal Theory (Cambridge Studies in Philosophy) by Gerald F. Gaus on 8 pages
- Moral Discourse and Practice: Some Philosophical Approaches by Stephen Darwall on 8 pages
- Preferences (Perspectives in Analytical Philosophy, Bd 19) by Christoph Fehige on 5 pages
- Human Welfare and Moral Worth: Kantian Perspectives by Thomas E. Hill on 5 pages
See all 100 books citing this book
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