试析西季威克在功利主义中的地位——从罗尔斯的评价谈起

On Sidgwick's Role in the History of Utilitarianism——on the Basis of John Rawls's Evaluation

西季威克是功利主义发展史上的重要人物,当代美国著名的思想家罗尔斯曾对他的伦理思想做过相当高的评价。论文以罗尔斯的评价为起点,肯定西季威克对古典功利主义的贡献,同时进一步明确提出西季威克不仅促进了功利主义的规则论转向,也揭示了功利主义的内在困境,从而多维度地体现西季威克在功利主义中的重要地位。

Henry Sidgwick was an important figure in the history of utilitarianism, John Rawls, an American famous scholar, had praised his ethical thought highly. This article uses Rawls＇s evaluation as starting point and praises Sidgwicks＇ contributions to classical utilitarianism, furthermore, it suggests that Sidgwick not only promotes the rise of rule - utilitarianism, but also discloses the inherent dilemma of utilitarianism, and so it expresses Sidgwick＇s important role in the history of utilitarianism from different aspects.