The Utilitarian Response : Essays on the Contemporary Viability of Utilitarian Political Philosophy

Utilitarianism, once an important component of both popular and academic political philosophy, has recently lost ground to theories, such as those of Rawls, Nozick and Dworkin, which focus on the individual.

This book explores the capacity of utilitarianism to respond to the challenge.

Its central questions concern the intellectual coherence and moral acceptability of utilitarian answers to practical dilemmas.

Important examples occur in the areas of health care, punishment and electoral arrangements.

The key themes in the book are of the relationship between private ethics and public policy, between utility and freedom, utility and democracy and the role and limitations of states, both internally and internationally. The author's other books include "Right Principles: A Conservative Philosophy of Politics" and "The Politics of Sport".