Equal Freedom and Utility: Herbert Spencer's Liberal Utilitarianism - Brossura

Weinstein, David

Brossura

ISBN 10: 0521026865 ISBN 13: 9780521026864

Casa editrice: Cambridge University Press, 2008

Riassunto

This rich and provocative study assesses Herbert Spencer's pivotal contribution to the emergence of liberal utilitarianism and shows that Spencer, as much as J. S. Mill, provided liberal utilitarianism with its formative contours. Like Mill, Spencer tried to reconcile a principle of liberty and strong moral rights with a utilitarian, maximizing theory of good. In this powerful and sympathetic account, David Weinstein argues that Spencer's moral and political thought exhibits greater systematic integrity than received views of his thought acknowledge. However, Weinstein also examines the problems and flaws in Spencer's version of liberal utilitarianism, and shows that, precisely because of these flaws, it is engaging and deserving of our critical attention. This challenging study will be of interest to graduates and scholars in the fields of political theory, moral and political philosophy, and the history of political thought.

Su questo libro

Recensione:

'Weinstein effectively dispels the longstanding view of Spencer as a relic of a bygone age. His restatement of Spencer's theory as a contribution to recent 'liberal utilitarian' thought does much to bring him to life and makes this book essential reading for contemporary political theorists.' Political Studies

Descrizione del libro:

This rich and provocative study is the first to examine Herbert Spencer's critical role in the development of liberal utilitarian moral and political philosophy in the nineteenth century. While several scholars correctly see Mill as a founder of liberal utilitarianism, none have appreciated Spencer's equally important formative role.

Su questa edizione

• Editore: Cambridge University Press
• Data di pubblicazione: 2008
• ISBN 10: 0521026865
• ISBN 13: 9780521026864
• Rilegatura: Copertina flessibile
• Numero edizione: 1
• Numero di pagine: 252