# Henry Sidgwick — Principia Ethica character guide

> Henry Sidgwick in Principia Ethica by G. E. Moore.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Prof. Henry Sidgwick, Prof. Sidgwick, Sidgwick, Professor Sidgwick, himself

**First appearance:** 0005-i-the-subject-matter-of-ethics

## Snapshot

The Cambridge ethicist whose 'Methods of Ethics' Moore cites constantly — sometimes as ally, sometimes as the source of a crucial confusion.

## Who they are

Sidgwick is Moore's most intimate intellectual interlocutor, cited in footnotes and argued with in the main text, and the one whose terminology Moore borrows even while rejecting the label 'Intuitionist.' Moore credits Sidgwick with recognizing that some ethical propositions are incapable of proof, but insists Sidgwick never grasped the full importance of distinguishing those from propositions about right action. This half-agreement, half-correction makes Sidgwick the book's most productive foil — a thinker close enough to Moore's position to sharpen it, and far enough to require the sharpening.

## Relationships

### [Jeremy Bentham](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/principia_ethica_se/characters/jeremy_bentham)

_professional_

Sidgwick is presented as a successor and critic of Bentham's utilitarian calculus, refining Bentham's ideas within a more rigorous philosophical framework.

### [The Egoist](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/principia_ethica_se/characters/the_egoist)

_rivalry_

Sidgwick famously grapples with the 'dualism of practical reason,' attempting to reconcile egoism with universal benevolence.

### [Jeremy Bentham](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/principia_ethica_se/characters/jeremy_bentham)

_professional_

Sidgwick is presented as a successor and critic of Bentham's utilitarian calculus, refining Bentham's ideas within a more rigorous philosophical framework.

## In the story

### [Preface to the 1903 Edition](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/principia_ethica_se/chapters/preface-to-the-1903-edition)

Moore follows Sidgwick's usage of 'Intuitions' for self-evident propositions, but distinguishes his own view from Sidgwick's Intuitionism.

### [Principia Ethica](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/principia_ethica_se/chapters/principia-ethica)

Critiqued for his version of hedonism.

### [I: The Subject-Matter of Ethics](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/principia_ethica_se/chapters/i-the-subject-matter-of-ethics)

Cited as the only ethical writer who clearly recognized that 'good' is indefinable and unanalysable.

### [III: Hedonism](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/principia_ethica_se/chapters/iii-hedonism)

Recognized for clearly seeing Hedonism as an intuition, but his arguments are ultimately refuted.

### [VI: The Ideal](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/principia_ethica_se/chapters/vi-the-ideal)

Referenced in the discussion of the intrinsic value of the mere existence of beauty; Moore agrees with Sidgwick that such value is negligible compared to the consciousness of beauty.

### [Endnotes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/principia_ethica_se/chapters/endnotes)

Referenced for 'Methods of Ethics' passages.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/principia_ethica_se/characters/henry_sidgwick
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/principia_ethica_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/principia_ethica_se/characters