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Welfare, Happiness, and Ethics

Online ISBN:
9780191679773
Print ISBN:
9780198238782
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
Book

Welfare, Happiness, and Ethics

L. W. Sumner
L. W. Sumner
Professor, Department of Philosophy and Faculty of Law
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Published online:
3 October 2011
Published in print:
25 February 1999
Online ISBN:
9780191679773
Print ISBN:
9780198238782
Publisher:
Oxford University Press

Abstract

Moral philosophers agree that welfare matters. But they do not agree about what it is, or how much it matters. This book presents an original theory of welfare, investigating its nature and discussing its importance. It considers and rejects all notable rival theories, both objective and subjective, including hedonism and theories founded on desire or preference. The book's own theory connects welfare closely with happiness or life satisfaction. The book then proceeds to defend welfarism, that is, to argue (against the value pluralism that currently dominates moral philosophy) that welfare is the only basic ethical value, the only thing which we have a moral reason to promote for its own sake. It concludes by discussing the implications of this thesis for ethical and political theory.

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