Henry Sidgwick

Henry Sidgwick was an English philosopher and economist who spent his career at Trinity College, Cambridge, where he became Knightbridge Professor of Moral Philosophy. His Methods of Ethics gave utilitarianism its most systematic classical formulation, carefully comparing it with egoism and intuitionism. He ended unable to show that reason favours universal benevolence over rational self-interest, a problem he called the dualism of practical reason. He was also active in founding Newnham College and the Society for Psychical Research.

Key ideas

• Ethics compares three methods: egoism, intuitionism and utilitarianism.
• Self-evident axioms of justice, prudence and benevolence support a utilitarian conclusion.
• Reason cannot decide between universal good and one's own good, the dualism of practical reason.
• Common-sense morality is largely, though unconsciously, utilitarian in its tendencies.

Major works

• The Methods of Ethics (1874)
• The Principles of Political Economy (1883)
• Outlines of the History of Ethics (1886)
• The Elements of Politics (1891)

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