The Moral Theory of Pleasure and Pain

In preference utilitarianism, the individual's preferences are taken extremely seriously. The emphasis on preferences makes it clear just how subjective this particular type of moral theory can be. Derek Parfett is bothered by these concessions to preference because for Parfett, well, people could prefer all sorts of terrible things. So he tries to construct a kind of mesh between the Anglo-utilitarian tradition and the more continental Kantian tradition.