Greene et al. reported that brain areas typically associated with affect are activated when subjects make moral judgements about ‘personal’ scenarios, where one alternative requires directly causing ...

Scientists found that people who endorse actions consistent with an ethic of utilitarianism -- the view that what is the morally right thing to do is whatever produces the best overall consequences -- ...

John Stuart Mill’s (1806-1873) father, James Mill, was an outspoken advocate of utilitarianism and a friend of Jeremy Bentham, its founder. John Mill was born into a household steeped in utilitarian ...

How do you make a choice that will benefit the greatest number of people when there are conflicting preferences involved? How does the brain make sense of differing perspectives and organize them to ...

The consequences of our actions are important. They matter. But if the utilitarian is right, then consequences are all that matters. Is this correct? The main principle of utilitarian moral theory, ...

The last time my wife and I were in London together, we had dinner at the Garrick Club with an eminent political philosopher and his wife. We’d walked out on some horrible West End play after the ...