No.15 Seminar ： Theory and Practice of Utilitarianism
- Yu-ichiro Kawana（The Hakubi Center）,Satoshi Kodama (University of Tokyo)
- 2011/01/18 4:00pm
- The Hakubi Center (iCeMS West Wing 2F, Seminar Room)
- Japanese
Summary
Utilitarianism, associated with the phrase ‘the greatest happiness of the greatest number’, has been misunderstood as mandating that people ought to pursue their own happiness at the expense of the interests of others. In fact, utilitarianism never asserts such an ethical egoistic doctrine, even though it does acknowledge that people often pursue their own interests. Utilitarianism is a theory that aims to maximize the happiness of the whole community, not of each individual who belongs to it. In this seminar, Dr. Kawana will talk briefly about utilitarian theory and its history, followed by Dr. Kodama’s presentation on the nature and roles of moral thinking more generally, utilitarian thinking in particular, in the context of our contemporary age.