Ethics in the second half of the 19th century: a reflection on its main representatives

Abstract

This article has one objective: to discuss the main ethical theses advanced by several philosophical systems of the late nineteenth century. To achieve this aim, it has been necessary to select a number of key thinkers and their respective philosophical movements. This selection, which inevitably entails a certain degree of simplification, includes the following: the utilitarianism of John Stuart Mill, the pessimism of Arthur Schopenhauer, the emphasis on individual decision highlighted by Søren Kierkegaard, the humanistic reflection of Karl Marx, and, finally, Friedrich Nietzsche’s critique of values.