The Common Structure of Kantianism and Act-Utilitarianism

Bibliographic Data

ID8075191
AuthorsChristopher Woodard (0000-0002-8517-5015, corresponding author)
Year2013
Volume25
Issue2
Pages246-265
Publication date2013-05-09
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueUtilitas (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0953-8208 • E-ISSN: 1741-6183
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s0953820812000489
OpenAlexW2160140944
LanguageEN
Citations received3
References cited21

This article proposes a way of understanding Kantianism, act-utilitarianism and some other important ethical theories according to which they are all versions of the same kind of theory, sharing a common structure. I argue that this is a profitable way to understand the theories discussed. It is charitable to the theories concerned; it emphasizes the common ground between them; it gives us insights into the differences between them; and it provides a method for generating new ethical theories worth studying. The article briefly discusses the relationship between these ideas and some other recent proposals that emphasize the common ground between Kantianism and versions of consequentialism

Common ground · Consequentialism · Epistemology · Sociology · Utilitarianism · Epistemology, Ethics, and Metaphysics · Free Will and Agency · Philosophical Ethics and Theory · Philosophy

Tools

Open DOISci-Hub