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Christianity, Divine Law and Consequentialism
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 30 January 2009
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In 1971 John Rawls remarked that ‘During much of modern moral philosophy the predominant systematic theory has been some form of utilitarianism.’ Although utilitarianism is no longer the dominant school of moral philosophy, it continues to flourish, generating new defenses and reformulations. Yet with the notable exception of Joseph Fletcher, there have been very few Christian ethicistswho have been prepared to declare themselves to be utilitarians or consequentialists.
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References
1 Rawls, John, A Theory of Justice (Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press, 1971), vii.Google Scholar
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40 Ibid., 405.
41 Ibid., 407.
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54 Ibid., 20–21.
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61 Ibid., paragraph 80.
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63 Donagan, , The Theory of Morality, 64.Google Scholar
64 Ramsey, , ‘The Case of the Curious Exception,’ 92.Google Scholar
65 I am grateful to Joseph Blenkinsopp and Diane Yeager for many helpful comments on earlier drafts of this essay.
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