Sidgwick, Henry (1839–1900)

Henry Sidgwick made important contributions to ethics and economics. He argued that intuitive commonsense morality collapses into utilitarianism, comparing as he did so utilitarianism with alternative moral theories. Sidgwick also wrote on economics and argued against socialism.

Henry Sidgwick was born in Skipton, Yorkshire, in 1838; he died in 1900. He was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge, and remained at that university for his entire career. He was highly influenced by the work of J. S. Mill, especially Mill's The Subjection of Women, and was a great advocate of female education as well as the education of the working class. He was influential in establishing the all-female Newnham College, Cambridge, in 1871, which was one of the first colleges for women in England. Sidgwick is best ...