Utility and Rights

Frey, R. G. (editor)

ISBN 10: 0816613192 / ISBN 13: 9780816613199

Published by University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, 1984

About this Item

A collection of essays concerning "the nature of rights and the ways in which various moral theories can accommodate them." [from publisher] Includes bibliographical references, and index. Ex-library with usual markings, not affecting text, lacking a dustjacket.

Seller Inventory # 8181

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Utility and Rights
• Publisher: University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis
• Publication Date: 1984
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0816613192
• ISBN 13: 9780816613199
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: Ex-Library
• Seller catalogs:
  • Social Science

About this title

Synopsis

At issue in the clash between utilitarianism and the theory of rights is a fundamental question about the theoretical underpinnings of moral and political philosophy. Is this structure to be utility-based—grounded in the general welfare—or is it to be based on individual moral and political rights, as critics of utilitarianism increasingly insist? The argument centers, in part, upon the fact that utilitarianism, with its emphasis upon outcomes and total utility in the world, seems to employ a value theory that offers no protection to persons and their vital interests. The essays in this volume grapple with the main issues in this controversy. They share a common concern with the nature of rights and the ways in which various moral theories can accommodate them; some measure the degree to which utilitarianism can or cannot be modified to include rights. Eight of the eleven essays were written expressly for this book; all of the authors are deeply engaged in the debate over utility and rights, and their essays build upon and extend current thinking on the subject. R. G. Frey's lucid introduction will make the book appropriate for advanced students as well as for scholars in moral, political, and legal theory. "One ubiquitous criticism of utilitarianism is that it cannot make sense of moral rights at all. This collection is the first that explicitly addresses these issues, and it marks a major step in the debate."–Dale Jamieson, University of Colorado

From the Back Cover

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