Francis Hutcheson and Contemporary Ethical Theory (review)

This paper examines John Maynard Keynes’s ethical theory and how it relates to his politico-economic thought. Keynes’s ethical theory represents an attack on all general rules. Since capitalism is a rule-based social system, Keynes’s ethical theory is incompatible with capitalism. And since socialism rejects the general rules of private property, the Keynesian ethical theory is consistent with socialism. The unexplored evidence presented here confirms Keynes advocated a consistent form of non-Marxist socialism from no later than 1907 until his death in 1946. However, Keynes’s ethical theory is flawed because it is based on his defective logical theory of probability. Consequently, Keynes’s ethical theory is not a viable ethical justification for socialism.

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The Case for a Nonresearch Doctorate in Accounting: An Application of Economic and Ethical Theory to a Practical Issue

SSRN Electronic Journal ◽

10.2139/ssrn.242497 ◽

2000 ◽

Author(s):

Robert W. McGee

Keyword(s):

Ethical Theory ◽

Practical Issue

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Spinoza’s Ethical Theory

10.1093/oso/9780195307771.003.0022 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Don Garrett

Keyword(s):

Moral Responsibility ◽

Ethical Theory ◽

Moral Significance ◽

Philosophical Naturalism ◽

History Of Ethics ◽

Virtuous Character ◽

History Of ◽

Good And Evil

This chapter analyzes Spinoza’s ethical theory in the context of his philosophical naturalism, his doctrine that the actual essence of each thing is its striving for self-preservation (conatus), and his psychology of the emotions as it concerns both “bondage to the passions” and the active emotions such as intellectual joy. It explains how Spinoza’s ethical precepts are expressed chiefly through demonstrated propositions about good and evil, virtue, the guidance of reason, and “the free man.” Particular attention is given to questions about (1) the meaning of ethical language, (2) the nature of the good, (3) the practicality of reason, (4) the role of virtuous character, (5) the requirements for freedom and moral responsibility (especially in light of his necessitarianism), and (6) the possibility and moral significance of altruism. The chapter concludes by briefly assessing the significance of Spinoza’s ethical theory and its place in the history of ethics.

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