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Assessment objective 1: keeping sight of the target

Machiavelli

Prince of pragmatism

Steve McCarthy explores the work of Machiavelli, whose philosophy may have had some influence on the popular ethical theory of utilitarianism

Chris Hill/Fotolia

All boards: Ethics options

Moral theories tend to take it for granted that we should be moral and then seek to clarify why this is imperative, or to unpack exactly what constitutes morality. Utilitarianism, on the other hand, comes close to suggesting that we should do what is useful rather than moral. This can be seen as a sophisticated form of pragmatism.

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Assessment objective 1: keeping sight of the target

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