Henry Sidgwick (1838–1900)
Forfatter af The Methods of Ethics, 7th Edition (Hackett Classics)
Om forfatteren
Born at Skipton, Yorkshire, Henry Sidgwick studied at Trinity College, Cambridge University, where he was appointed a fellow in 1859. In 1869 he resigned his fellowship when growing religious doubts led him to decide that he could no longer subscribe to the Thirty-Nine Articles of the Anglican vis mere church (as fellows were required to do). He was subsequently reappointed when the religious requirements were abolished, becoming professor of moral philosophy in 1883 and continuing to teach at Trinity College until his death. Sidgwick was active in many fields: education, classics, literature, political theory, and history as well as philosophy. He was interested in the cause of women's education and was instrumental in the founding of Newnham College for women at Cambridge. Sidgwick's most important contributions to philosophy lie in the field of ethics, and his most important work is Methods of Ethics (1874). In ethical theory, he was a proponent of utilitarianism; he is generally regarded as the third great representative of that position, along with Bentham and John Stuart Mill (see also Vols. 1 and 3). He rejected the empiricism on which earlier utilitarians had grounded their theory and displayed much greater complexity and sophistication in treating the psychology of moral motivation. In political theory, Sidgwick was more conservative than either Bentham or Mill. (Bowker Author Biography) vis mindre
Image credit: Image from Henry Sidgwick; a memoir (1906) by Arthur Sidgwick and Eleanor Mildred Sidgwick
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Almen Viden
- Kanonisk navn
- Sidgwick, Henry
- Fødselsdato
- 1838-05-31
- Dødsdag
- 1900-08-28
- Begravelsessted
- Terling All Saints Churchyard, Terling, Essex, England, UK
- Køn
- male
- Nationalitet
- England
UK - Fødested
- Skipton, Yorkshire, England
- Dødssted
- Cambridge, England
- Bopæl
- Cambridge, England
- Uddannelse
- Rugby School
University of Cambridge (Trinity College) - Erhverv
- philosopher
- Relationer
- Sidgwick, Eleanor Mildred (spouse)
Balfour, Arthur James (brother-in-law)
Sidgwick, Arthur (brother)
Jones, E. E. Constance (editor) - Organisationer
- Society for Psychical Research
Cambridge Apostles - Priser og hædersbevisninger
- Knight's Professor of Philosophy, Cambridge
Medlemmer
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- 442
- Popularitet
- #55,392
- Vurdering
- 4.2
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- ISBN
- 69
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If there is one aspect that sums up both the brilliance and difficulty of this book, it would be its thoroughness. Sidgwick comprehensively covers all the major ethical theories up to that time, objections to them, and rigorous responses to each. Many reviewers describe The Methods of Ethics as simply a defense of utilitarianism, but I think this is an unfair characterization. While Sidgwick does ultimately advocate universal hedonism as the most coherent ethical system, he is rigorous in his accounts of moral intuitionism and egoistic hedonism. The work is really more of a critique of the major ethical theories of the time than simply a defense of utilitarianism. Reading Sidgwick is not like reading Kant, Mill, or other moral philosophers because he seems ultimately more concerned with the practical application of ethics and its concomitance with common sense, whereas most ethical theorists are seeking to defend their theories wholesale, regardless of conflicts with practical implementation. Sidgwick seems comfortable admitting the weaknesses in the ethical system he advocates, simply because the other methods he examines have more.… (mere)