Five Seminal Ethics Books from Aristotle to Moore
A survey of five foundational works in moral philosophy highlights their enduring influence. Aristotle's "Nicomachean Ethics" (4th century BC) introduces eudaimonia and the Golden Mean, emphasizing virtue as habit. Immanuel Kant's "Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals" (1785) presents deontology and the categorical imperative, arguing morality is duty-based. John Stuart Mill's "Utilitarianism" (1863) advocates maximizing happiness, distinguishing higher from lower pleasures. Friedrich Nietzsche's "Beyond Good and Evil" (1886) critiques herd morality and proposes perspectivism and the will to power. G. E. Moore's "Principia Ethica" (1903) refutes the naturalistic fallacy, defining "good" as a non-natural property grasped intuitively. These texts have shaped ethical theory, law, and policy, from Kant's influence on human rights to Mill's impact on democratic governance.
Key facts
- Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics was written as lecture notes in the 4th century BC.
- Kant's Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals was published in 1785.
- Mill's Utilitarianism was published in 1863.
- Nietzsche's Beyond Good and Evil was published in 1886.
- Moore's Principia Ethica was published in 1903.
- Kant's categorical imperative includes the maxim of universalization.
- Mill distinguishes higher pleasures (art, learning) from lower pleasures.
- Moore's open question argument shows 'good' is indefinable.
Entities
Artists
- Aristotle
- Immanuel Kant
- John Stuart Mill
- Friedrich Nietzsche
- G. E. Moore
- Jeremy Bentham
- Confucius
- Lou Salomé
- Lysippos
- Johann Gottlieb Becker
- Friedrich Hermann Hartmann
- Oliver Strachey
- John Maynard Keynes
- Ray Strachey
Institutions
- Bloomsbury Group
- Third Reich
- Hulton Archive
- Schiller-Nationalmuseum
- Palazzo Altemps
Locations
- Rome
- Italy
- Marbach am Neckar
- Germany