The Ethics of Giving: Philosophers' Perspectives on Philanthropy
Paul Woodruff
Abstract
Philanthropy and charitable giving support the lives of both people and institutions. Individuals express their values by where they give and how much. Yet recent philosophers have written little about the subject, aside from Peter Singer and other advocates of effective altruism, who are mostly (but not universally) consequentialist utilitarians. We have a need, therefore, to examine theories of the ethics of giving from a wider range of theories, including theories based on Kant, intuitionism, virtue theory, integrity, and justice. The ethical theory that individuals hold makes a significant ... More
Philanthropy and charitable giving support the lives of both people and institutions. Individuals express their values by where they give and how much. Yet recent philosophers have written little about the subject, aside from Peter Singer and other advocates of effective altruism, who are mostly (but not universally) consequentialist utilitarians. We have a need, therefore, to examine theories of the ethics of giving from a wider range of theories, including theories based on Kant, intuitionism, virtue theory, integrity, and justice. The ethical theory that individuals hold makes a significant difference to their practices in giving. This volume contains essays by philosophers who are, in most cases, publishing on the topic for the first time.
Keywords:
philanthropy,
charity,
Kant,
utilitarianism,
consequentialism,
integrity,
justice,
effective altruism,
Peter Singer
Bibliographic Information
| Print publication date: 2018 |
Print ISBN-13: 9780190648879 |
| Published to Oxford Scholarship Online: May 2018 |
DOI:10.1093/oso/9780190648879.001.0001 |
