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Utilitarianism: A Modern, Godless Ethics?

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Ethical Exploration in a Multifaith Society

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Abstract

Chapter four will introduce and critique utilitarianism and deontology as two modern, secular approaches to ethical theory and decision-making. The history and rationale for their development as a reaction against theologically divisive bases for ethics is considered. Their modern application will be assessed in relation to issues in modern society and particularly in collective as well as personal settings. Examples of theological argument over abortion, euthanasia, tackling poverty and just war theory will be explored to show that theological ethics also uses utilitarian and rationalist deontological reasoning. This will illustrate how far what is now seen as secular ethical theory is implicit in much religious debate in the contemporary world, alongside religious sources of authority.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    e.g. Russell B. A History of Western Philosophy. Routledge, 2004, pp. 289–448 (Russell 2004); Kenny A. A New History of Western Philosophy. Oxford University Press, 2007. pp. 253–296;

  2. 2.

    e.g. John Finnis, Germaine Grisez, Jean Porter, David Novak, Elizabeth Anscombe.

  3. 3.

    Gill R. A Cambridge Companion to Christian Ethics. Cambridge University Press, 2012 (Gill 2012).

  4. 4.

    Hauerwas S & Wells S. Balckwell Companion to Christian Ethics. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing, 2004–2006 (Hauerwas and Wells 2006).

  5. 5.

    Jeremy Bentham. Utilitarianism and Other Essays. London: Penguin Classics, 1987, p. 65 (Bentham 1987).

  6. 6.

    Bentham J., op. cit., p. 70.

  7. 7.

    As argued by Lisa Sowle Cahill in Teleology, Utilitarianism and Christian Ethics. Theological Studies Sage Publications, December 1981, Vol 42, pp. 601–629 (Cahill 1981).

  8. 8.

    Neo-liberal Roman Catholic theologian Michael Novak defends free market capitalism on the basis of JS Mills liberalism as a development of Thomist natural law theology; see e.g. Long Stephen D. Divine Economy: Theology & the Market. London & New York: Routledge, 2000, pp. 13–29 (Long Stephen 2000); Roman Catholic Lisa Sowle Cahil also regards utilitarianism as a sub-category of natural law teleology – LS Cahill – Teleology, utilitarianism and Christian Ethics – Theological Studies 1981 – tsj.sagepub.com.

  9. 9.

    Wordsworth Editions: World Classics 2012. Ed. Spencer Mark G, Griffith Tom.

  10. 10.

    Phillipson Nicholas. Adam Smith: An Enlightened Life. Penguin, 2010 (Nicholas 2010).

  11. 11.

    Smith A. Theory of Moral Sentiments. Penguin Classics, 2010 (Smith 2010).

  12. 12.

    See above Chapter 3, ‘Observing the nature of class.’

  13. 13.

    National Institute for Clinical Excellence.

  14. 14.

    Hughes J. The End of Work: Theological Critiques of Capitalism. Wiley Blackwell, 2006 (Hughes 2006).

  15. 15.

    Millbank J, Pickstock C & Ward G. Radical Orthodoxy: A New Theology. Routledge, 1998 (Millbank et al. 1998b); Blond P. Post Secular Philosophy: Between Philosophy and Theology. Routledge, 1997 (Blond 1997).

  16. 16.

    Donovan O. The Desire of the Nations: Rediscovering the Roots of Political Philosophy. Cambridge University Press, 2006 (Donovan 2006); Kirwan M. Political Theology: A New Introduction. Darton Longman & Todd, 2008 (Kirwan 2008).

  17. 17.

    Novak M. The Spirit of Democratic Capitalism. Madison Books, 1990 (Novak 1990).

  18. 18.

    Al Hassan Al Aidaros, Faridahwati Mohd S & Kamil MD. Idris. Islam and Ethical Theory. International Journal of Islamic Thought, 4 (December 2013), pp. 1–13 (Al Hassan et al. 2013).

  19. 19.

    http://www.torahphilosophy.com/2011/09/atheist-ethics.html.

  20. 20.

    Bradley Dr M & Bendorf M. Utilitarianism, Deontology, Hinduism, and Buddhism on the Nature of Moral Right and Wrong. http://bendorfm.com/essays/PR202Essay1.htm. Accessed 28 May 2016;

  21. 21.

    Lipner J. The voice of scripture as veda and ‘veda’ in Hindus; their religious beliefs and practices. op. cit., p. 79

  22. 22.

    Mill JS and Jeremy Bentham, op. cit., pp. 29–97.

  23. 23.

    Mill JS and Jeremy Bentham, op. cit.

  24. 24.

    Fletcher JF. Situation Ethics: A New Morality. Westminster: John Knox Press, 1997 (Fletcher 1999).

  25. 25.

    Mills actually wrote ‘if the sources of pleasure were precisely the same to human beings and to swine, the rule of life for one would be good enough for the other…’ Mills JS. Utilitarianism. London: Penguin Classics1987, p. 279.

  26. 26.

    Mills JS., op. cit., pp. 278–294.

  27. 27.

    Nietzche FW. The Genealogy of Morals. Dover Publishing, 2003; Nietzche FW. Ed. Tanner M. On Good and Evil. Penguin Classics, 2014 (Nietzche 2014).

  28. 28.

    Dawkins R. The God Delusion. Boston Houghton Mifflin, 2006 & Black Swan, 2007 (Dawkins 2006).

  29. 29.

    Lewis CS. The Problem of Pain. Williams Collins, 2015 (Lewis 2015).

  30. 30.

    http://www.sikhs.org/nosymbol.htm.

  31. 31.

    Re Begum ex p Denbigh High School [2005] UKSC 15.

  32. 32.

    Proverbs 13:24, 19: 18, 22:15, 23: 13–14.

  33. 33.

    Millbank J., op. cit.; Hauerwas S. Community of Character. Notre Dame University Press, 1984, p. 88 (Hauerwas 1984).

  34. 34.

    Millbank J, Hauerwas S, MacIntyre A & Anscombe E., op. cit.

  35. 35.

    e.g. the Roman Catholic Church, see Moore G. The Body in Context: Sex and Catholicism. Continuum, 2011 (Moore 2011).

  36. 36.

    Re SA. (Vulnerable Adult) [2005] EWHC 2942, [2006] 1 FLR 867 – adult with mental health diagnosis and learning disabilities held to have capacity to consent to sexual relationship but not more serious longer term commitment of marriage.

  37. 37.

    Holloway R. Godless Morality: Keeping Religion Out of Ethics. Canongate, 2004 (Holloway 2004).

  38. 38.

    Bentham J. An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation. In Utilitarianism & Other Essays. Penguin Classics, op. cit., p. 95; Dawkins R. 2007, op. cit. pp. 317–387.

  39. 39.

    Paley W. The Principles of Moral and Political Philosophy. Liberty Fund Inc, 2003 (Paley 2003).

  40. 40.

    Fasching DJ, Dechant D & Lantigua DM. Comparative Religious Ethics: A Narrative Approach to Global Ethics, 2nd edition. Wiley-Blackwell, 2011, pp. 4–19 (Fasching et al. 2011).

  41. 41.

    Lipner J. Hindus: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices. Routledge, 2010, pp. 259–272 (Lipner 2010).

  42. 42.

    Bhagat Kabir, Guru Granth Sahib.

  43. 43.

    Amos 5.

  44. 44.

    Werner Menski. Hinduism. In Ethical Issues in Six Religious Traditions. Edinburgh University Press, 2007 at p. 48; Lipner J., op. cit., pp. 159–160 (Menski 2007).

  45. 45.

    Luke 12:53; Matthew 10:35.

  46. 46.

    Fasching, Delchant and Lantigua, op. cit.

  47. 47.

    Hauerwas S. The Peaceable Kingdom: A Primer in Christian Ethics. SCM Press, 2009 (Hauerwas 2009). Biggar, N. In defence of war. Oxford University Press, 2013 (Biggar 2013) .

  48. 48.

    Singer P. Famine, Affluence and Morality. Philosophy and Public Affairs 1, 3 (Spring 1972), pp. 229–243 (Singer 1972).

  49. 49.

    Widdows argues for a ‘global public goods’ rather than rights-based analysis which is essentially utilitarian ie dealing with migration and treating refugees reduces global health risks. Widdows H. & Marway H. A Global Public Goods Approach to the Health of Migrants. Public Health Ethics, 2015, pp. 1–9 (Widdows and Marway 2015).

  50. 50.

    op. cit.

  51. 51.

    Temple W. Christianity and the Social Order. Shepeard-Walwyn Publishers, 1984 (Temple 1984).

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  1. Independent Scholar, Croydon, United Kingdom

    Catherine Shelley

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Shelley, C. (2017). Utilitarianism: A Modern, Godless Ethics?. In: Ethical Exploration in a Multifaith Society. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-46711-5_4

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