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160Is Rule-Consequentialism a Rubber Duck?Analysis 54 (2). 1994.Some things aren't what their names suggest. This is true of rubber ducks, stool pigeons, clay pigeons, hot dogs, and clothes horses. Frances Howard-Snyder's "Rule Consequentialism is a Rubber Duck" ("APQ", 30 (1993) 271-78) argues that the answer is Yes. Howard-Snyder thinks rule-consequentialism is a form of deontology, not a form of consequentialism. This thought is understandable: many recent definitions of consequentialism are such as to invite it. Thinking rule-consequentialism inferior to…Read more
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152Ross-style pluralism versus rule-consequentialismMind 105 (420): 531-552. 1996.This paper employs (and defends where needed) a familiar four-part methodology for assessing moral theories. This methodology makes the most popular kind of moral pluralism--here called Ross-style pluralism--look extremely attractive. The paper contends, however, that, if rule-consequentialism's implications match our considered moral convictions as well as Ross-style pluralism's implications do, the methodology makes rule-consequentialism look even more attractive than Ross-style pluralism. The…Read more
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Virtues and the Good. Does moral virtue constitute a benefit to the agent?In Roger Crisp (ed.), How Should One Live?: Essays on the Virtues, Oxford University Press. 1996.
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5Fairness, needs, and desertIn Matthew H. Kramer, Claire Grant, Ben Colburn & Antony Hatzistavrou (eds.), The legacy of H.L.A. Hart: legal, political, and moral philosophy, Oxford University Press. 2008.
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421Ideal code, real world: a rule-consequentialist theory of moralityOxford University Press. 2000.What are the appropriate criteria for assessing a theory of morality? In this enlightening work, Brad Hooker begins by answering this question. He then argues for a rule-consequentialist theory which, in part, asserts that acts should be assessed morally in terms of impartially justified rules. In the end, he considers the implications of rule-consequentialism for several current controversies in practical ethics, making this clearly written, engaging book the best overall statement of this appr…Read more
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65Theory versus Anti-theory in EthicsIn Ulrike Heuer & Gerald R. Lang (eds.), Luck, Value, and Commitment: Themes from the Ethics of Bernard Williams, Oxford University Press Usa. pp. 19. 2012.
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15Publicity in morality: a reply to Katarzyna de Lazari-Radek and Peter SingerRatio 23 (1): 111-117. 2010.
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100Act-consequentialism versus rule-consequentialismIn Steven M. Cahn & Andrew Forcehimes (eds.), Principles of Moral Philosophy: Classic and Contemporary Approaches, Oxford University Press. 2016.
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6The Demands of Consequentialism, by Tim Mulgan. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 2001, 313 pp. + vi,??35, $49.95 (hbk). ISBN 0-1-825093-2 (review)Philosophy 78 (2): 289-307. 2003.
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283The Collapse of Virtue EthicsUtilitas 14 (1): 22. 2002.Virtue ethics is normally taken to be an alternative to consequentialist and Kantian moral theories. I shall discuss what I think is the most interesting version of virtue ethics – Rosalind Hursthouse's. I shall then argue that her version is inadequate in ways that suggest revision in the direction of a kind of rule-consequentialism
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9One central moral idea is that your doing some act is morally permissible only if others’ doing that act would also be morally permissible. There are a number of different ways of developing this idea. One is the suggestion that, before deciding to do some act, you should ask yourself ‘What if everyone did that?’ Another central moral idea is that it is immoral to ‘use’ people.
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93Wrongness, evolutionary debunking, public rulesEtica and Politica / Ethics and Politics 18 133-148. 2016.Katarzyna de Lazari-Radek and Peter Singer’s wonderful book, The Point of View of the Universe: Sidgwick and Contemporary Ethics, contains a wealth of intriguing arguments and compelling ideas. The present paper focuses on areas of continuing dispute. The paper first attacks LazariRadek’s and Singer’s evolutionary debunking arguments against both egoism and parts of common-sense morality. The paper then addresses their discussion of the role of rules in utilitarianism. De Lazari-Radek and Singer…Read more
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Intuitions and moral theorizingIn Philip Stratton-Lake (ed.), Ethical Intuitionism: Re-Evaluations, Oxford University Press Uk. pp. 76--161. 2002.
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21Review of George Sher, In Praise of Blame (review)Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews 2007 (3). 2007.
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49Theory vs Anti-TheoryIn Ulrika Heuer Gerald Lang (ed.), Luck, Value, and Commitment: Themes from the Moral Philosophy of Bernard Williams, Oxford University Press. 2012.Bernard Williams influentially attacked ethical theory. This paper assesses arguments for the ‘anti-theory’ position in ethics, including mainly arguments put forward by Williams but also arguments put forward by others. The paper begins by discussing what is supposed to be theory in ethics and what ethical intuitions are taken to be by those involved in the theory versus anti-theory debate. Then the paper responds to the objections that ethical theory is mistaken to prize principles, mistaken t…Read more
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88Morality and the good lifeThe Philosophers' Magazine 53 (53): 91-95. 2011.Being moral sometimes handicaps decent people in their pursuit of worthwhile goals. This is especially likely to happen when those with power in society have badly mistaken ideas about what morality requires. A good person might not last long in a bad society.
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112Egoism, partiality, and impartialityIn Roger Crisp (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of the History of Ethics, Oxford University Press. pp. 710-728. 2013.This chapter discusses psychological egoism, ethical egoism, rational egoism, partiality, and impartiality. Partiality involves assigning more importance to the welfare or will of some individuals or groups than to the welfare or will of others. Egoism is an extreme form of partiality in that it gives overriding importance to the welfare of just one individual. While there are different kinds of impartiality, the kind that juxtaposes with egoism and partiality is impartiality towards the welfare…Read more
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152Rule-consequentialism and demandingness: A reply to CarsonMind 100 (2): 269-276. 1991.This paper replies to Carson's attacks on an earlier paper of Hooker's. Carson argued that rule-consequentialism--the theory that an act is morally right if and only if it is allowed by the set of rules and corresponding virtues the having of which by everyone would bring about the best consequences considered impartially--can and does require the comfortably off to make enormous sacrifices in order to help the needy. Hooker defends rule-consequentialism against Carson's arguments
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31The meaningful life: subjectivism, objectivism, and divine supportIn John Cottingham, Nafsika Athanassoulis & Samantha Vice (eds.), The moral life: essays in honour of John Cottingham, Palgrave-macmillan. pp. 184-200. 2008.
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98Contractualism, spare wheel, aggregationIn Matt Matravers (ed.), Scanlon and contractualism, Frank Cass. pp. 53-76. 2003.This essay explores the reasons for thinking that Scanlon's contractualist principle serves merely as a ?spare wheel?, an element that spins along nicely but bears no real weight, because it presupposes too much of what it should be explaning. The ambitions and scope of Scanlon's contractualism are discussed, as is Scanlon's thesis that contracualism will assess candidate moral principles individually rather than as sets. The final third of the paper critizes Scanlon's account of fairness and hi…Read more
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6American moral philosophyIn Cheryl Misak (ed.), The Oxford handbook of American philosophy, Oxford University Press. pp. 578-594. 2008.
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185Moral particularism (edited book)Oxford University Press. 2000.A timely and penetrating investigation, this book seeks to transform moral philosophy. In the face of continuing disagreement about which general moral principles are correct, there has been a resurgence of interest in the idea that correct moral judgements can be only about particular cases. This view--moral particularism --forecasts a revolution in ordinary moral practice that has until now consisted largely of appeals to general moral principles. Moral particularism also opposes the primary a…Read more
Reading, Berkshire, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Areas of Specialization
Normative Ethics |
Meta-Ethics |
Value Theory |
Social and Political Philosophy |
Areas of Interest
Normative Ethics |
Value Theory |
Meta-Ethics |