The Idea of Moral Progress in the Utilitarian Tradition
A conference supported by the Fritz Thyssen Foundation and the German Society for Utilitarian Studies
From its earliest days onwards, the (secular) utilitarian tradition has always seen itself as on the side of moral progress, against conservative and “sinister” interests. Even opponents of the doctrine often concende that, in retrospect, utilitarians were often right to oppose discriminatory laws and customs. The idea of progress has also been used by utilitarians as an argumentative resource against competing normative theories. This workshop aims to combine systematic and historical perspectives and to explore questions such as:
- How have utilitarians thought about the idea of moral improvement?
- How and why do they differ?
- How might their views have changed over time?
- What role does this idea play in their philosophical outlook?
This event will be a modified pre-read workshop: We will distribute extended handouts (rather than full papers) to participants about a week in advance. Registration by email (office.seidel@itz.kit.edu) by 14 May 2025 is required. Please also let us know if you plan to attend the conference dinner (on 23 May 2025).
Program:
| Friday, 23 May 2025 | |
|---|---|
| 09:00 | Welcome & Intro |
| 09:10 | Julia Driver (Austin/USA) Hume, Mill, and the Progress of Sentiments |
| 10:20 | Coffee Break |
| 10:40 | Eleonora Buono (Padova/Italy) Character, Interiority and Moral Progress in John Stuart Mill’s Thought |
| 11:50 | Cyriak Schmitz (Karlsruhe/Germany) A Millian Solution to the Paradox of Moral Progress |
| 13:00 | Lunch @ Mensa am Adenauerring, Adenauerring 7 |
| 14:10 | Frauke Höntzsch (Augsburg/Germany) The Role of Moral Progress in Mill’s Specific Liberalism |
| 15:20 | Coffee Break |
| 15:40 | Helen McCabe (Nottingham/United Kingdom) The Importance of Moral Progress in John Stuart (and Harriet Taylor) Mill’s View of Economic and Social Progress Towards Cooperative Socialism |
| 16:50 | Roger Crisp (Oxford/United Kingdom) Moral Progress in Classical Utilitarianism |
| 19:00 | Conference Dinner @ My Heart Beats Vegan, Kriegsstraße 94 |
| Saturday, 24 May 2025 | |
|---|---|
| 09:00 | Giulia Cantamessi (Pavia/Italy) Between Evolution and Utilitarianism. Sidgwick and Spencer on Moral Progress |
| 10:10 | Coffee Break |
| 10:30 | Annette Dufner (Bielefeld/Germany) Progress in Medical Ethics and Utilitarian Liberalism |
| 11:40 | Michael Schefczyk (Karlsruhe/Germany) Moral Progress and the Past |
| 12:50 | Lunch @ Conference Room |
| 14:00 | Christian Seidel (Karlsruhe/Germany) Moral Progress Through Progress in Moral Theory: How Utilitarianism Has Shaped the Project of Modern Moral Philosophy |
| 15:10 | Wrap-Up |
Further info: https://philevents.org/event/show/134218
The workshop is generously supported by the Fritz Thyssen Foundation and the German Society for Utilitarian Studies (Gesellschaft für Utilitarismusstudien).
Cyriak Schmitz
Lehrbeauftragter
