This is a reading list for the Oxford first year moral philosophy paper. Students may wish to also consult the philosophy faculty’s reading list available through WebLearn.
A required text for this paper is J.S. Mill’s Utilitarianism Mill, J. S. (1998). Utilitarianism. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Though I’ve recommended chapters of Mill for each essay, these are just the most relevant parts of Mill’s book. You would be well-advised to read the whole book cover to cover as soon as you can.
1. Hedonism: Quantitative vs. Qualitative
- (*) Mill, J. S. (1998). Utilitarianism. Oxford: Oxford University Press, chs 1–2
- (*) Crisp, R. (1997). Routledge philosophy guidebook to Mill on Utilitarianism. London: Routledge, ch 2
- (*) Smart, J. J. C. (. J. C. (1987). Utilitarianism : for and against (Repr. with corrections.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 12–27
Essay question: State as clearly as you can the objection to utilitarianism that Mill introduces in ch.2 of Utilitarianism by saying “To suppose that life has.. no higher end than pleasure – no better and nobler object of desire and pursuit – they designate as a doctrine worthy only of swine…” How does Mill try to reply to this objection? Does he succeed?
2. Theories of well-being
- (*) Mill, J. S. (1998). Utilitarianism. Oxford: Oxford University Press, chs 1–2
- (*) Nozick, R. (1974). Anarchy, state and Utopia. Oxford: Basil Blackwell, pp. 42–45
Essay question: Does Nozick’s “experience machine” argument refute Mill’s hedonism? Would alternative theories of well-being (e.g. the desire theory, an objective list theory) do better than hedonism?
- (*) Mill, J. S. (1998). Utilitarianism. Oxford: Oxford University Press, ch 2
- (*) Crisp, R. (1997). Routledge philosophy guidebook to Mill on Utilitarianism. London: Routledge, ch 5
- (*) Rawls, J. (1955). Two Concepts of Rules. The Philosophical Review, 64(1), 3–32 http://www.jstor.org/stable/2182230
- (*) Smart, J. J. C. (. J. C. (1987). Utilitarianism : for and against (Repr. with corrections.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 9-12
Essay question: What is the difference between act utilitarianism and rule utilitarianism? Which is the superior form of utilitarianism?
4. Integrity and the personal point of view
- (*) Mill, J. S. (1998). Utilitarianism. Oxford: Oxford University Press, ch 2-3
- (*) Smart, J. J. C. (. J. C. (1987). Utilitarianism : for and against (Repr. with corrections.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 82-118
Essay question: What is Williams’s integrity objection to utilitarianism? Is it is a good objection?
5. Justice
- (*) Mill, J. S. (1998). Utilitarianism. Oxford: Oxford University Press, ch 5
- (*) Rawls, J. (1999). A Theory of Justice, Revised Edition. Belknap Press, pp. 22-27
- (*) Smart, J. J. C. (. J. C. (1987). Utilitarianism : for and against (Repr. with corrections.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 67-73
- Crisp, R. (1997). Routledge philosophy guidebook to Mill on Utilitarianism. London: Routledge, ch 7
Essay question: Does Mill succeed in giving a satisfactory account of justice? Can any utilitarian do so?
6. Person-affecting morality
- (*) Broome, J. (1994). The Value of a Person. Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society, Supplementary Volumes, 68, 167–185 http://www.jstor.org/stable/4107026
- (*) Narveson, J. (1967). Utilitarianism and New Generations. Mind, New Series, 76(301), 62–72 http://www.jstor.org/stable/2252027
- (*) Parsons, J. (2002). Axiological Actualism. Australasian Journal of Philosophy, 80(2), 137–147 http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1093/ajp/80.2.137
- Miller, D. E. (2003). Axiological Actualism and the Converse Intuition. Australasian Journal of Philosophy, 81(1), 123–125 http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1093/ajp/jag111
- Parfit, D. (1986). Reasons and Persons. Oxford: Oxford University Press, ch 18 (ch 16 may also be helpful)
Essay question: “The welfare that a person would have, were they actual, cannot constitute a reason to bring that person into existence.” Is this principle correct? Does it conflict with a broadly utilitarian moral theory?
7. Mill’s “proof” and the naturalistic fallacy
- (*) Mill, J. S. (1998). Utilitarianism. Oxford: Oxford University Press, ch 4
- (*) Moore, G. E. (. E. (1903). Principia ethica. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, ch 3
- Prior, A. N. (. N. ) (1949). Logic and the basis of ethics. Oxford: Clarendon Press, ch 1
- Searle, J. R. (1964). How to Derive “Ought” From “Is”. The Philosophical Review, 73(1), 43–58 http://www.jstor.org/stable/2183201
Essay question: What is the “naturalistic fallacy”? Does Mill commit the naturalistic fallacy? If not, why not; if so, is this a problem for Mill’s utilitarianism?
8. Liberty and liberalism
- (*) Mill, J. S. (1865). On liberty. London: Longman, Green, Longman, Roberts, and Green, ch 1
- (*) Crisp, R. (1997). Routledge philosophy guidebook to Mill on Utilitarianism. London: Routledge, ch 8
- (*) Strasser, M. (1984). Mill and the Utility of Liberty. The Philosophical Quarterly, 34(134), 63–68 http://www.jstor.org/stable/2218890
Essay question: Are Mill’s views in Utilitarianism consistent with those in On Liberty? If not, how should he revise his views to obtain consistency?
Updated: 01 Jun 2016 10:10
