[Revised entry by Brad Hooker on January 15, 2023.
Changes to: Main text, Bibliography]
The theory of morality we can call full rule-consequentialism selects rules solely in terms of the goodness of their consequences and then claims that these rules determine which kinds of acts are morally wrong. George Berkeley was arguably the first rule-consequentialist. He wrote, “In framing the general laws of nature, it is granted we must be entirely guided by the public good of mankind, but not in the ordinary moral actions of our lives. … The rule is framed with respect to the good of mankind; but our practice must be always…
Originally appeared on Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy Read More
