Hume's Utilitarian Theory of Right Action
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 10691245 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Jordan Howard Sobel (University of Toronto, corresponding author) |
| Year | 1997 |
| Volume | 47 |
| Issue | 186 |
| Pages | 55-72 |
| Publication date | 1997-01-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The Philosophical Quarterly (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0031-8094 • E-ISSN: 1467-9213 |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press (OUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1111/1467-9213.00046 |
| OpenAlex | W2128904752 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 2 |
A theory of right action is implicit in Hume’s delineation of the virtues. It gives qualified priority to ‘rules of justice’ as Hume’s remarks on ‘that species of utility which attends this virtue’ require. It is a useful actual‐rule, not an ideal possible‐rule, purely utilitarian theory that discounts rules of justice in ‘extraordinary cases’, has a problem when rules conflict, and invites the question ‘Why not hark directly to the supreme law of utility in every case?’. It does not reflect contractarian considerations of mutuality of interests evident in Hume’s texts, which while sometimes relevant to what is reasonable, are in his view never also relevant to what is moral
Action (physics) · Economic Justice · Epistemology · Ideal (ethics) · Law and economics · Political science · Sociology · Supreme court · Virtue · Law · Philosophical Ethics and Theory · Philosophy
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2025 (1) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |