Consequentialism

Consequentialism is a major approach to normative ethical theory, which considers the production of good and prevention of bad consequences the touchstone of the moral evaluation. Consequentialism brings together for the first time both the main classical sources and the central contemporary expressions of this important position. Among classic sources, it includes empiricists such as Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill, and rationalists like Henry Sidgwick and G. E. Moore. Contemporary consequentialist selections are included from Philip Pettit, Derek Parfit, Samuel Scheffler, Peter Railton, Richard B. Brandt, John C. Harsanyi, and Robert Adams. There are also two trenchant discussions of consequentialism by John Rawls and Amartya Sen. Edited and introduced by Stephen Darwall, these readings are essential for anyone interested in normative ethics.