• Journal of Korean Philosophical Society
• /
• no.93
• /
• pp.175-199
• /
• 2011

The development of contemporary utilitarianism can be taken to be an aggregation of many attempts to surmount the limitations of classical utilitarianism. In these attempts, contemporary utilitarianism suggests alternatives to 'hedonism' and 'act-utilitarianism' which have been regarded as the common essential elements of classical utilitarianism. First, contemporary utilitarianism replaces the concept of 'happiness' or 'pleasure' in the classical utilitarianism with that of 'desire-fulfillment' or 'preference-satisfaction'. Through this replacement, contemporary utilitarianism tries to avoid the skeptical challenge to the mental state theory inherent in the classical concept of utility, and also to provide a more extensive conception of utility for a more satisfactory explanation of human welfare. Second, the development of rule-utilitarian theories which can evade the criticisms about 'counter-productivity' and 'counter-intuitiveness' of act-utilitarianism constitutes another important trend of contemporary utilitarianism. Characteristically, rule-utilitarian theories developed in the contemporary utilitarianism grope for some utilitarian system that can embrace socially accepted general norms. Lastly, contemporary utilitarianism responds to the criticisms related the problem of justice by reinterpreting the first principle of utilitarianism. This reinterpretation is an attempt to explain the egalitarian basis of utilitarianism through Bentham's dictum 'everyone counts for one, none for more than one'. It seems true that many influential criticisms in the latter half of 20th century cast a deep shadow on utilitarianism. But through the above attempt, contemporary utilitarianism proceeds to a better explanation of human welfare.

• Journal of Korean Philosophical Society
• /
• v.147
• /
• pp.1-28
• /
• 2018

In order to reveal the differentiation of Nietzsche's justice theory, this paper attempted an intrinsic analysis of the political act of establishing a social contract with others through the fundamental concept of "will to the power", and the politics of modern nation including utilitarianism, liberalism and democracy. I will deal with criticism of ideology. In other words, it will be a work to clarify the fictitiousness and errors by digging out the ground of the value of justice as 'genealogical psychology' which strips off the psychological layers hidden behind the name of universal truth called 'virtue'. By dismantling the notion of self-righteous justice based on 'virtue' from 'immorality' as well as 'out of morality', it aims to reveal a new emotional dimension based on love, not retaliation. When Nietzsche emphasizes the role of positive emotions such as 'mercy' and 'forgiveness' rather than negative emotions such as revenge, retaliation, and grudge, while analyzing justice in the dynamics of power relations, By allowing exception rule, we will critically analyze whether universality and consistency are lost.