The Dimensions of Consequentialism : Ethics, Equality and Risk

Consequentialism is a major theory of ethics. This book introduces a new type of consequentialist theory, according to which an act's moral rightness depends on a number of separate dimensions, such as individual wellbeing, equality and risk. This multidimensional perspective helps articulate views about ethics in a precise, theoretical framework.

Consequentialism, one of the major theories of normative ethics, maintains that the moral rightness of an act is determined solely by the act's consequences. The traditional form of consequentialism is one-dimensional, in that the rightness of an act is a function of a single moral aspect, such as the sum total of wellbeing it produces. In this book Martin Peterson introduces a new type of consequentialist theory: multidimensional consequentialism. According to this theory, an act's moral rightness depends on several separate dimensions, including individual wellbeing, equality and risk. Peterson's novel approach shows that moral views about equality and risk that were previously thought to be mutually incompatible can be rendered compatible, and his precise theoretical discussion helps the reader to understand better the distinction between consequentialist and non-consequentialist theories. His book will interest a wide range of readers in ethics.