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Richard Brandt (1910-1997) was an American philosopher, and one of the leading utilitarian moral philosophers of the 20th century. He taught for a long time at the University of Michigan, together with Charles Stevenson and William K. Frankena (1908-1994), and served as Chairman of the philosophy department. His Ethical Theory (1959) was an influential textbook in the field. He defended a version of rule-utilitarianism (e.g., "Toward a credible form of utilitarianism", 1963); he has also performed cultural-anthropological studies (Hopi Ethics, 1954). However, A Theory of the Good and the Right, 1979 is probably the best among his works. In this, he proposed a "refoming definition" of rationality, that one is rational if one's preferences are such that they survive cognitive psychotherapy in terms of all relevant information and logical criticism. He argued also that the morality such rational persons would accept would be a form of utilitarianism. Richard Brandt believes that the rule should be considered in sets which he calls moral codes. A moral code is justified with it is the optimal code that, if adopted and followed, would maximise the public good more than alternative codes would. The codes may be society-wide standards or special codes for a profession like engineering.
