I'm a political philosopher. I work at the Political Science Department at Luiss University, Rome (see here: http://docenti.luiss.it/pellegrino/chi-sono/). I work on environmental ethics (climate change, the Anthropocene, plant ethics), migration (refugees and climate migrants), distributive justice (utilitarianism, future generations), history of political thought (Jeremy Bentham).
The Encyclopedia of Political Thought, Sep 15, 2014
Bentham's significance spans many fields. In ethics, he is the founder of modern utilitariani... more Bentham's significance spans many fields. In ethics, he is the founder of modern utilitarianism, one of the most influential moral theories of the last two centuries. In jurisprudence, his dichotomy between “law as it is” and “law as it ought to be” is at the root of legal positivism. He produced one of the most comprehensive theories of evidence in the Anglo-American tradition. He developed a systematic view of preventive punishment. His educational theories, based on access to all regardless of religion and gender, were the inspiration for the establishment of the University College London. Bentham put forward a utilitarian approach to liberal democracy. Keywords: Keywords: democratic theory; equality; liberal democracy; liberalism; political philosophy; utilitarianism
Abstract According to a widely shared interpretation, Henry Sidgwick's ethics is a revis... more Abstract According to a widely shared interpretation, Henry Sidgwick's ethics is a revision of commonsense morality, performed making appeal to utilitarian philosophical principles. The aim of the article is to show that Sidgwick, on the contrary, proposes an explanatory ...
type="graphical" xml:id="gpol12114-abs-0002"> I am not suggesting that the... more type="graphical" xml:id="gpol12114-abs-0002"> I am not suggesting that the fate of the current least well-offs should be sacrificed for the sake of the well-being of future persons. I am rather pointing out that no simple principle like leximin egalitarianism—where only one relevant factor, such as worse-offedness, is taken into account—can be a plausible standard of intergenerational justice.
In this paper, two different axiologies of pleasure are attributed to Hutcheson and Mill. Hutches... more In this paper, two different axiologies of pleasure are attributed to Hutcheson and Mill. Hutcheson endorsed a hedonist axiology, where quality of pleasure works as a still quantitative factor, able to counterbalance other quantitative features of pleasurable mental states - such as intensity and duration. By contrast, in Mill's view of value, the quality of pleasures is the only value-making feature, silencing any contribution from other quantitative elements. Therefore, the presence of certain qualitative characteristics - namely, the connection of certain pleasures with human active faculties - becomes a necessary and sufficient condition of value. Due to this unique role of quality, Mill's axiology opens the way to non-pleasurable experiences being valuable - for non-pleasurable exercises of the human active faculties meet the condition to be valuable states. Thus, Mill's theory of value is declared non-hedonistic -against the recent claims to the contrary put forth by W. Donner.
type="graphical" xml:id="gpol12114-abs-0002"> I am not suggesting that the... more type="graphical" xml:id="gpol12114-abs-0002"> I am not suggesting that the fate of the current least well-offs should be sacrificed for the sake of the well-being of future persons. I am rather pointing out that no simple principle like leximin egalitarianism—where only one relevant factor, such as worse-offedness, is taken into account—can be a plausible standard of intergenerational justice.
Etica e politica delle piante. DeriveApprodi, Roma. L’autore Gianfranco Pellegrino, docente di Fi... more Etica e politica delle piante. DeriveApprodi, Roma. L’autore Gianfranco Pellegrino, docente di Filosofia politica, Università Luiss di Roma in dialogo con Pier Luigi Nimis, docente di Botanica sistematica Università di Trieste
The Encyclopedia of Political Thought, Sep 15, 2014
Bentham's significance spans many fields. In ethics, he is the founder of modern utilitariani... more Bentham's significance spans many fields. In ethics, he is the founder of modern utilitarianism, one of the most influential moral theories of the last two centuries. In jurisprudence, his dichotomy between “law as it is” and “law as it ought to be” is at the root of legal positivism. He produced one of the most comprehensive theories of evidence in the Anglo-American tradition. He developed a systematic view of preventive punishment. His educational theories, based on access to all regardless of religion and gender, were the inspiration for the establishment of the University College London. Bentham put forward a utilitarian approach to liberal democracy. Keywords: Keywords: democratic theory; equality; liberal democracy; liberalism; political philosophy; utilitarianism
Abstract According to a widely shared interpretation, Henry Sidgwick's ethics is a revis... more Abstract According to a widely shared interpretation, Henry Sidgwick's ethics is a revision of commonsense morality, performed making appeal to utilitarian philosophical principles. The aim of the article is to show that Sidgwick, on the contrary, proposes an explanatory ...
type="graphical" xml:id="gpol12114-abs-0002"> I am not suggesting that the... more type="graphical" xml:id="gpol12114-abs-0002"> I am not suggesting that the fate of the current least well-offs should be sacrificed for the sake of the well-being of future persons. I am rather pointing out that no simple principle like leximin egalitarianism—where only one relevant factor, such as worse-offedness, is taken into account—can be a plausible standard of intergenerational justice.
In this paper, two different axiologies of pleasure are attributed to Hutcheson and Mill. Hutches... more In this paper, two different axiologies of pleasure are attributed to Hutcheson and Mill. Hutcheson endorsed a hedonist axiology, where quality of pleasure works as a still quantitative factor, able to counterbalance other quantitative features of pleasurable mental states - such as intensity and duration. By contrast, in Mill's view of value, the quality of pleasures is the only value-making feature, silencing any contribution from other quantitative elements. Therefore, the presence of certain qualitative characteristics - namely, the connection of certain pleasures with human active faculties - becomes a necessary and sufficient condition of value. Due to this unique role of quality, Mill's axiology opens the way to non-pleasurable experiences being valuable - for non-pleasurable exercises of the human active faculties meet the condition to be valuable states. Thus, Mill's theory of value is declared non-hedonistic -against the recent claims to the contrary put forth by W. Donner.
type="graphical" xml:id="gpol12114-abs-0002"> I am not suggesting that the... more type="graphical" xml:id="gpol12114-abs-0002"> I am not suggesting that the fate of the current least well-offs should be sacrificed for the sake of the well-being of future persons. I am rather pointing out that no simple principle like leximin egalitarianism—where only one relevant factor, such as worse-offedness, is taken into account—can be a plausible standard of intergenerational justice.
Etica e politica delle piante. DeriveApprodi, Roma. L’autore Gianfranco Pellegrino, docente di Fi... more Etica e politica delle piante. DeriveApprodi, Roma. L’autore Gianfranco Pellegrino, docente di Filosofia politica, Università Luiss di Roma in dialogo con Pier Luigi Nimis, docente di Botanica sistematica Università di Trieste
In ch. 2 of In a Better World, E. Baccarini claims that certain genetic interventions (additive e... more In ch. 2 of In a Better World, E. Baccarini claims that certain genetic interventions (additive enhancements and treatments) are permissible, whereas suppressive enhancements are impermissible. He connects these claims to an ideal of fair equality of opportunities, understood as a public reason. In this note, I made two points. First, an ideal of fair equality of opportunities in a post-genomic society commits us to the view that certain genetic interventions are prima facie required, not simply permissible. Second, a non-discriminatory or affirmational view of disability makes some suppressive enhancements permissible, at least if reproductive freedom is assumed.
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