Ethical Impartialism: Contemporary Perspectives

It is often held that while we ought to give some consideration to the
interests of everyone, including distant strangers, we are rationally
justified in prioritizing ourselves and our loved ones. However, the
idea that one ought to have equal basic concern for the interests of
all has a surprisingly impressive pedigree. This view, sometimes
called ethical impartialism, can be found in the teachings of the
Buddhists and Stoics in the Ancient world, in Christian philosophy of
the medieval period, and in modern moral theories such as
Utilitarianism and Kantianism. Amidst the ongoing contemporary debate
between proponents of impartialist ethical theories and those who
defend partiality; this workshop aims at exploring the following
questions:

- To what extent are partialist ethical theories committed to
impartialist considerations?

- Is it possible to isolate the impartialist thread from the rest of
paradigmatic impartialist theories like utilitarianism?

- What, if any, are the affinities between impartialist elements in
alternative approaches, such as Utilitarianism and Kantian ethics?

- To what extent is it possible to account for typical partialist
verdicts from an impartialist perspective?