Are Most People Consequentialists?

Olof Johansson-Stenman ()

No 467, Working Papers in Economics from University of Gothenburg, Department of Economics

Abstract: Welfare economics relies on consequentialism. Whether a public action is good or bad is then determined by the consequences for people, rather than for example by the extent to which it infringes on others’ rights. Yet, many philosophers have questioned this assumption. The present note presents new survey evidence where a representative sample in Sweden are asked about their ethical perceptions with respect to what matters intrinsically. Overall, people’s perceptions are largely consistent with consequentialism.

Keywords: ethics; rights; consequentialism; social cost-benefit analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D60 D70 Q50 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 10 pages
Date: 2010-08-27
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Journal Article: Are most people consequentialists? (2012)
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