Utilitarianism in the age of enlightenment : the moral and political thought of William Paley / Niall O'Flaherty.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

O'Flaherty, Niall, 1971- author.

Series:

Ideas in context ; 118.

Ideas in context ; 118

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Paley, William, 1743-1805.

Paley, William.

Utilitarianism.

Ethics.

Enlightenment--England.

Enlightenment.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (viii, 339 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Place of Publication:

Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2019.

Summary:

This is the first book-length study of one of the most influential traditions in eighteenth-century Anglophone moral and political thought, 'theological utilitarianism'. Niall O'Flaherty charts its development from its formulation by Anglican disciples of Locke in the 1730s to its culmination in William Paley's work. Few works of moral and political thought had such a profound impact on political discourse as Paley's Principles of Moral and Political Philosophy (1785). His arguments were at the forefront of debates about the constitution, the judicial system, slavery and poverty. By placing Paley's moral thought in the context of theological debate, this book establishes his genuine commitment to a worldly theology and to a programme of human advancement. It thus raises serious doubts about histories which treat the Enlightenment as an entirely secular enterprise, as well as those which see English thought as being markedly out of step with wider European intellectual developments.

Contents:

The development of Lockean moral philosophy

Abraham Tucker and the call for "moral policy"

William Paley's moral thought

"Taking the pruning knife to the branch": expediency in action

Natural theology as an aid to virtue

Utility and the science of politics

Utility and the constitution

Paley on crimes and punishments

Utility and toleration

The problem of poverty

From Paley to Malthus: utility and society after 1785.

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 04 Jan 2019).

ISBN:

1-108-64111-3

1-108-66204-8

1-108-66711-2