The pursuit of happiness : philosophical and psychological foundations of utility / Louis Narens, Brian Skyems.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Narens, Louis, author.

Skyrms, Brian, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Utilitarianism.

Happiness--Philosophy.

Happiness.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (ix, 189 pages) : illustrations

Other Title:

Philosophical and psychological foundations of utility

Place of Publication:

Oxford, England : Oxford University Press, [2020]

Summary:

"Utilitarianism began as a movement for social reform that changed the world, based on the ideal of maximizing pleasure and minimizing pain. There is a tendency to enter into debates for and against the ethical doctrine of Utilitarianism without a clear understanding of its basic concepts. The Pursuit of Happiness now offers a rigorous account of the foundations of Utilitarianism, and vividly sets out possible ways forward for its future development. 0To understand Utilitarianism, we must understand utility: how is it to be measured, and how the aggregate utility of a group can be understood. Louis Narens and Brian Skyrms, respectively a cognitive scientist and a philosopher, pursue these questions by adopting both formal and historical methods, examining theories of measuring utility from Jeremy Bentham, the founder of the Utilitarian movement, to the present day, taking in psychophysics, positivism, measurement theory, meaningfulness,0neuropsychology, representation theorems, and the dynamics of formation of conventions. On this basis, Narens and Skyrms argue that a meaningful form of Utilitarianism that can coordinate action in social groups is possible through interpersonal comparison and the formation of conventions."-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

The Pursuit of Happiness

Part I The Utility Concept. Jeremy Bentham

Early Utilitarians

Nineteenth-Century Psychophysics

Measurement Essentials in a Nutshell

Skeptics

Using Chance to Measure Utility

Harsanyi and Utilitarianism

Part II Measurement and Psychophysics. Neurobiology of Pleasure and Pain

Modern Measurement

Psychophysical Measures of Intensity

Part III Interpersonal Comparisons and Convention. Product Utilitarianism and an Old-New Way to Measure Utility

Dynamics of Convention

Where Do We Stand?

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

0-19-259842-2

0-19-188972-5

0-19-259843-0