Utilitarianism and moral progress. A philosophical-historical analysis

Moral progress is a much neglected topic in philosophy. This may come as a surprise, because knowing what moral progress is and how it happens can help us, among other things, to identify and promote positive moral developments. For these reasons alone, it seems reasons alone, it seems appropriate to make an attempt to address this issue. The previous neglect of the topic favors a historical analysis in which the examination of the thoughts of important the thoughts of important theorists in order to find out what they thought about the subject. what they thought about the subject. In the history of philosophy, the idea of moral progress progress, especially in utilitarianism, plays an important role in the history of philosophy. This makes an investigation utilitarian tradition a promising and profitable starting point for a more in-depth analysis. in-depth analysis.

The aim of this project is to analyze, with recourse to four important utilitarian thinkers (John Stuart Mill, Henry Sidgwick, Peter Singer and Derek Parfit) to find out what utilitarianism has to say on this subject. utilitarianism has to say on this subject. The generally implicit statements are to be and represent a first approximation that will help us to open up this complex of topics. complex of topics.