Books written by Douglas W. Portmore

  • Opting for the Best: Oughts and Options
    Opting for the Best: Oughts and Options

    Last, let's assume that he chooses to tee off, tries not to slice it, and, by sheer luck, succeeds in not slicing it. ... (OptI) teeing off; (OptII) not teeing off; (OptIII) teeing off and slicing the ball; and (OptIV) teeing off and ...

  • The Oxford Handbook of Consequentialism
    The Oxford Handbook of Consequentialism

    "This handbook contains thirty-two previously unpublished contributions to consequentialist ethics by leading scholars, covering what's happening in the field today as well as pointing to new directions for future research.

  • The Oxford Handbook of Consequentialism
    The Oxford Handbook of Consequentialism

    Suppose that we must choose whether or not to bring a large number of extra lives into existence. If we bring these extra live into existence, then our lives will be slightly worse as there will be more people to share resources with.

  • Morality and Practical Reasons
    Morality and Practical Reasons

    As Socrates famously noted, there is no more important question than how we ought to live.

  • Commonsense Consequentialism: Wherein Morality Meets Rationality
    Commonsense Consequentialism: Wherein Morality Meets Rationality

    Although the primary aim of the book is to defend a particular moral theory (viz., commonsense consequentialism), Portmore defends this theory as part of a coherent whole concerning our commonsense views about the nature and substance of ...