1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910810478803321

Autore

Weinstein D (David), <1949->

Titolo

Utilitarianism and the New Liberalism / / D. Weinstein [[electronic resource]]

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Cambridge : , : Cambridge University Press, , 2007

ISBN

1-107-18206-9

0-511-36908-5

1-281-15626-4

9786611156268

0-511-37063-6

0-511-37010-5

0-511-49078-X

0-511-36958-1

0-511-37110-1

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (xii, 221 pages) : digital, PDF file(s)

Collana

Ideas in context ; ; 83

Disciplina

320.51

Soggetti

Liberalism

Utilitarianism

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 05 Oct 2015).

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Nota di contenuto

1. Introduction -- 2. Between Kantianism and utilitarianism: T.H. Green -- 3. Between utilitarianism and perfectionism: L.T. Hobhouse -- 4. Excursus: Green, Hobhouse and contemporary moral philosophy -- 5. Vindicating utilitarianism: D.G. Ritchie -- 6. Utilitarian socialism: J.A. Hobson -- 7. Conclusion: intellectual history and the idolatry of conceptual dichotomies.

Sommario/riassunto

In this 2007 study, David Weinstein argues that nineteenth-century English New Liberalism was considerably more indebted to classical English utilitarianism than the received view holds. T. H. Green, L. T. Hobhouse, D. G. Ritchie and J. A. Hobson were liberal consequentialists who followed J. S. Mill in trying to accommodate robust, liberal moral rights with the normative goal of promoting self-realisation. Through careful interpretation of each, Weinstein shows how these theorists



brought together themes from idealism, perfectionism and especially utilitarianism to create the new liberalism. Like Mill, they were committed to liberalising consequentialism and systematising liberalism. Because they were no less consequentialists than they were liberals, they constitute a greatly undervalued resource, Mill notwithstanding, for contemporary moral philosophers who remain dedicated to defending a coherent form of liberal consequentialism. The New Liberals had already travelled much of the philosophical ground that contemporary liberal consequentialists are unknowingly retravelling.