Outlines of the History of Ethics for English Readers
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Book Overview
One of the most influential of the Victorian philosophers, Henry Sidgwick (1838-1900) was the author of the masterpiece of utilitarianism, The Methods of Ethics. He also made important contributions to fields such as economics, political theory, and classics. An active champion of higher education for women, he founded Cambridge's Newnham College in 1871. He attended Rugby School and then Trinity College, Cambridge, where he remained his whole career. In 1859 he accepted a lectureship in classics, and held this post for ten years. He then changed direction and in 1869 took up a lectureship in moral philosophy. In this book, published in 1886, Sidgwick gives an objective summary of ethical philosophies throughout history. He considers general issues in ethics and then gives a detailed critique of the work of major philosophers from early Greek thinkers through to his nineteenth-century contemporaries.
Format:Paperback
Language:English
ISBN:1108041043
ISBN13:9781108041041
Release Date:December 2011
Publisher:Cambridge University Press
Length:306 Pages
Weight:0.86 lbs.
Dimensions:0.7" x 5.5" x 8.5"
Customer Reviews
1 rating
Very clear, reasonable
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 16 years ago
Henry Sidgwick was an always clear writer whose perspective was deeply influenced by British utilitarianism, but was eclectic enough to see much value in other "methods of ethics" (as he referred to the basic approaches of moralists in a more famous book). In this, we get fairly accurate descriptions of a wide range of moral philosophies, along with some interesting criticisms. This is one of those books where even the footnotes are exceptionally good. (His footnote on Herbert Spencer's "associationist" approach to the origin of ethics is fascinating.) This is a good book to read in tandem with Alisdair MacIntyre's similar short history of ethics. Both are eminently readable . . . indeed, hard to put down. Well, until finished.
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