A quick point on the track record of utilitarianism. One counter-example is James Fitzjames Stephen, a judge and utilitarian philosopher who wrote a trenchant critique of J.S. Mill’s arguments in On Liberty and his defence of the rights of women. This is in Stephen’s Liberty, Equality and Fraternity.
It does seem that the most famous utilitarians were ahead of the curve, but I do wonder whether they are famous in part because their ideas won the day. There may have been other utilitarians arguing for different opinions.
A quick point on the track record of utilitarianism. One counter-example is James Fitzjames Stephen, a judge and utilitarian philosopher who wrote a trenchant critique of J.S. Mill’s arguments in On Liberty and his defence of the rights of women. This is in Stephen’s Liberty, Equality and Fraternity.
It does seem that the most famous utilitarians were ahead of the curve, but I do wonder whether they are famous in part because their ideas won the day. There may have been other utilitarians arguing for different opinions.