Sidgwick, Henry

Sidgwick, Henry, 1838-1900, English philosopher. He studied at Trinity College, Cambridge, and taught moral philosophy there from 1869 until 1900. The basis of his thought was British utilitarianism. Analyzing the intuitionist and utilitarian arguments, he indicated their interrelationship by showing how the doctrine of common sense rests on the principles of utilitarianism. In The Methods of Ethics (1874) he distinguished between actions performed with a view toward the general happiness and those performed with a view toward the agent's own self-interest. After comparing ethical systems based on intuitionism, and utilitarianism, and egoism, he concluded that intuitionism and utilitarianism could be integrated into a single ethical system, but that no rational explanation could be found for preferring it to egoism. Sidgwick was interested in the advancement of women's rights, aiding in the planning and founding of Newnham College for women. He was also a founder of the Society of Psychical Research. Other major published works are Principles of Political Economy (1883), Philosophy: Its Scope and Relations (1902), and The Development of European Polity (1903).

(born May 31, 1838, Skipton, Yorkshire, Eng.—died Aug. 29, 1900, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire) British philosopher. Educated at Cambridge, he remained there as a fellow (from 1859) and professor (from 1883). His Methods of Ethics (1874) is considered by some the most significant 19th-century ethical work in English. Drawing on the utilitarianism of John Stuart Mill and the categorical imperative of Immanuel Kant, he proposed a system of “universalistic hedonism” that would reconcile the apparent conflict between the pleasure of self and the pleasure of others. His other writings include Principles of Political Economy (1883) and Elements of Politics (1891). He also cofounded the Society for Psychical Research (1882) and helped found Cambridge's first women's college.

Learn more about Sidgwick, Henry with a free trial on Britannica.com.

The Sidgwick Site is one of the biggest sites within the University of Cambridge. It is located on the western edge of Cambridge city centre, and is home to several of the university's arts faculties. The site is named after the philosopher Henry Sidgwick, who studied at Cambridge in the 19th century.

The site as it is now has its origins in plans drawn up by Casson and Conder in 1952 for making use of land to the west of Cambridge city-centre which was previously used mainly for sports. Much of the site's current architecture derives from these original plans. However, many faculty buildings, especially to the north of the site, have been designed by separate architects with little reference to the coherence of the site as a whole. In July 2002 the old Faculty of English, a converted Victorian villa, was demolished, and a more practical building designed by Allies and Morrison to reflect the needs of the faculty was completed in 2004.

On October 29th 2006, Education Not For Sale supporters at Cambridge University organised the first occupation in the UK in protest at the introduction of top-up fees on the Sidgwick Site Lecture Hall, occupying it for 12 hours.

Faculties on the Sidgwick Site

• Faculty of English, including Anglo-Saxon Norse and Celtic
• Faculty of Music
• Faculty of History
• Faculty of Law
• Faculty of Modern & Medieval Languages
• Faculty of Economics
• Faculty of Oriental Studies
• Faculty of Classics
• Faculty of Divinity
• Faculty of Philosophy
• Institute of Criminology

The Department of Land Economy is planned to move to the Sidgwick Site in the future.

External links

• Official site