Kantian consequentialism

The central issue in normative ethics hinges on the conflict between a consequentialist view - that morality requires promoting the good of all - and a Kantian view - that we should respect the rights of the individual. Kantians and non-Kantians alike have presumed that Kant's ethics is incompatible with all forms of consequentialism, and instead justifies a duty-based and agent-centered moral theory. From this perspective, certain actions, like sacrificing the innocent, are categorically forbidden. In this provocative and controversial book, philosopher David Cummiskey argues that the two…