The Pursuit of Happiness
Philosophical and Psychological Foundations of Utility
- Publisher's listprice GBP 36.99
-
17 671 Ft (16 830 Ft + 5% VAT)
The price is estimated because at the time of ordering we do not know what conversion rates will apply to HUF / product currency when the book arrives. In case HUF is weaker, the price increases slightly, in case HUF is stronger, the price goes lower slightly.
- Discount 10% (cc. 1 767 Ft off)
- Discounted price 15 904 Ft (15 147 Ft + 5% VAT)
Subcribe now and take benefit of a favourable price.
Subscribe
17 671 Ft
Availability
Estimated delivery time: In stock at the publisher, but not at Prospero's office. Delivery time approx. 3-5 weeks.
Not in stock at Prospero.
Why don't you give exact delivery time?
Delivery time is estimated on our previous experiences. We give estimations only, because we order from outside Hungary, and the delivery time mainly depends on how quickly the publisher supplies the book. Faster or slower deliveries both happen, but we do our best to supply as quickly as possible.
Product details:
- Publisher OUP Oxford
- Date of Publication 8 October 2020
- ISBN 9780198856450
- Binding Hardback
- No. of pages204 pages
- Size 223x148x17 mm
- Weight 390 g
- Language English 52
Categories
Short description:
Utilitarianism is one of the most famous ethical doctrines, based on the ideal of maximizing pleasure and minimizing pain. But Utilitarians and their opponents lack a clear scientific and philosophical understanding of its foundations, the measurement and aggregation of utility. This is what The Pursuit of Happiness now offers.
MoreLong description:
Utilitarianism began as a movement for social reform that changed the world, based on the ideal of maximizing pleasure and minimizing pain. There is a tendency to enter into debates for and against the ethical doctrine of Utilitarianism without a clear understanding of its basic concepts. The Pursuit of Happiness now offers a rigorous account of the foundations of Utilitarianism, and vividly sets out possible ways forward for its future development.
To understand Utilitarianism, we must understand utility: how is it to be measured, and how the aggregate utility of a group can be understood. Louis Narens and Brian Skyrms, respectively a cognitive scientist and a philosopher, pursue these questions by adopting both formal and historical methods, examining theories of measuring utility from Jeremy Bentham, the founder of the Utilitarian movement, to the present day, taking in psychophysics, positivism, measurement theory, meaningfulness, neuropsychology, representation theorems, and the dynamics of formation of conventions. On this basis, Narens and Skyrms argue that a meaningful form of Utilitarianism that can coordinate action in social groups is possible through interpersonal comparison and the formation of conventions.
Table of Contents:
Preface
The Pursuit of Happiness: Preview
Part I: The Utility Concept
Jeremy Bentham - Philosophical Radical
Early Utilitarians
Nineteeth-Century Psychophysics
Measurement Essentials in a Nutshell
Skeptics
Using Chance to Measure Utility
Harsanyi and Utilitarianism
Part II: Measurement and Psychophysics
Neurobiology of Pleasure and Pain
Modern Measurement
Psychophysical Measures of Intensity
Part III: Interpersonal Comparisons and Convention
Product Utilitarianism and an Old-New Way to Measure Utility
Dynamics of Convention
Where do we Stand?
References
