Utilitarianism: A Very Short Introduction By Peter Singer, Katarzyna
De Lazari-Radek (Paperback, 2017)

Product Description

Utilitarianism may well be the most influential secular ethical theory in the world today It is also one of the most controversial It clashes or is widely thought to clash with many conventional moral views & with human rights when they are seen as inviolable Would it for example be right to torture a suspected terrorist in order to prevent an attack that could kill & injure a large number of innocent people? In this Very Short Introduction Peter Singer & Katarzyna de Lazari-Radek provide an authoritative account of the nature of utilitarianism from its nineteenth-century origins to its justification & its varieties Considering how utilitarians can respond to objections that are often regarded as devastating they explore the utilitarian answer to the question of whether torture can ever be justified They also discuss what it is that utilitarians should seek to maximize paying special attention to the classical utilitarian view that only pleasure or happiness is of intrinsic value Singer & de Lazari-Radek conclude by analysing the continuing importance of utilitarianism in the world indicating how it is a force for new thinking on contemporary moral challenges like global poverty the treatment of animals climate change reducing the risk of human extinction end-of-life decisions for terminally-ill patients & the shift towards assessing the success of government policies in terms of their impact on happiness ABOUT THE SERIES The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly Our expert authors combine facts analysis perspective new ideas & enthusiasm to make interesting & challenging topics highly readable