Essays on Henry Sidgwick

Henry Sidgwick is one of the great intellectual figures of 19th century Britain. He was first and foremost a great moral philosopher, whose masterwork The Methods of Ethics (1874) is still widely studied today. But he was many other things besides, writing on religion, economics, politics, education and literature. He was deeply involved in the founding of the first college for women at the University of Cambridge. He was a leading figure in parapsychology. He was also much concerned with the sexual politics of his close friend John Addington Symonds, a pioneer of gay studies. Through his famous student, G.E. Moore, a direct line can be traced from Sidgwick and his circle to the Bloomsbury group. Bart Schultz has written a magisterial overview of this great Victorian sage--the first comprehensive study, offering quite new critical perspectives on the life and the work. Sidgwick's ethical work is situated in the context of his theological and political commitments and is revealed as a necessarily guarded statement of his deepest philosophical convictions and doubts. All other areas of this writings are covered and presented in the context of the late Victorian culture of imperialsim. This biography, or 'Goethean reconstruction' will be eagerly sought out by readers interested in philosophy, Victorian studies, political theory, the history of ideas, educational theory, the history of psychology and gender and gay studies. Bart Schultz is Fellow and Lecturer in the Division of the Humanities and Special Programs Coordinator in the Graham School of General Studies at the University of Chicago.

Table of Contents:
Foreword J. B. Schneewind; Acknowledgments; List of abbreviations; Introduction: Henry Sidgwick today Bart Schultz; Part I. Common-Sense Morality, Deontology, Utilitarianism: 1. Sidgwick and nineteenth-century British ethical thought Marcus G. Singer; 2. Sidgwick and the Cambridge moralists J. B. Schneewind; 3. Sidgwick and Whewellian intuitionism: some enigmas Alan Donagan; 4. Common sense at the foundations Russell Hardin; Part II. Egoism, Dualism, Identity: 5. Sidgwick's pessimism J. L. Mackie; 6. Sidgwick and the history of ethical dualism William K. Frankena; 7. Sidgwick and the rationale for rational egoism David O. Brink; 8. Sidgwick on ethical judgment John Deigh; Part III. Hedonism, Good, Perfection: 9. Sidgwick on desire, pleasure, and the good Thomas Christiano; 10. Eminent Victorians and Greek ethics: Sidgwick, Green, and Aristotle T. H. Irwin; 11. The attractive and the imperative: Sidgwick's view of Greek ethics Nicholas P. White; Part IV. History, Politics, Pragmatism: 12. The ordinary experience of civilized life: Sidgwick's politics and the method of reflective analysis Stefan Collini; 13. Rethinking tradition: Sidgwick and the philosophy of the via media James T. Kloppenberg; Index.

Review :
"As a whole they make a fine portrait in the round, showing Sidgwick in his cultural and spiritual attitudes, as a Cambridge academic and as a 'moral scientist'." Times Literary Supplement "A stimulating collection of 13 papers, mostly by eminent American moral philosophers, which touch on virtually every important aspect of Sidgwick's ethics and political thought...All are well written and of high quality." Choice "This splendid collection boasts an impressive list of contributors and ably serves to redress the insufficient attention paid to this giant of nineteenth-century British moral philosophy." Journal of Religion "...nearly all of the essays will be interesting and accessible to the non-philosopher whose interests may not be confined to Sidgwick's ethical thought...The editor hopes that this collection will not only 'press forward with serious work on Sidgwick's ethical theory' but also 'extend the scope of Sidgwick studies to get a better sense of his thought as a whole.' For the most part, this volume is successful in both aims." Michele M. Moody-Adams, Victorian Studies