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Christopher Woodard
I came to Nottingham from Warwick in 2002. My research interests are in utilitarian approaches to normative ethics and political philosophy.
In normative ethics I have a distinctive theory of patt...view moreI came to Nottingham from Warwick in 2002. My research interests are in utilitarian approaches to normative ethics and political philosophy.
In normative ethics I have a distinctive theory of pattern-based reasons. These are reasons to contribute to patterns of action that are good or right; such patterns might be extended plans, or collective actions. Most philosophers believe either that such reasons do not exist, or that they exist only in cooperative contexts. I claim that they exist even in uncooperative contexts, when there is no prospect of the rest of the pattern being realized. The result is an ethical theory that is similar to, but more general than, Rule Consequentialism. I defend this theory in my book, Reasons, Patterns, and Cooperation. I am also working on wellbeing, and I am especially interested in hybrid views of it.
I am currently writing a book with the working title Taking Utilitarianism Seriously.view less