West specializes in utilitarianism, especially the philosophy of John Stuart Mill.
He is also interested in political philosophy and ethical theory. 

He has written the entry for "utilitarianism" for the Encyclopedia Britannica,
the entry on "John Stuart Mill" for the Encyclopedia of Ethics and entries for
the Encyclopedia of Philosophy – Supplement on both "consequentialism" and
"John Stuart Mill." His book, interpreting and critically discussing the
utilitarian ethics of Mill, was published in 2004. 

West teaches courses on ethics and political philosophy and the history of Western
philosophy, especially ancient and medieval philosophies. 

EDUCATION: B. A., Emory University; M. A., Duke University; M.Div., Union Theological
Seminary; Ph.D., Harvard University 

West has taught at Macalester since 1965.

Journal Articles

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Review of Utilitarianism, Hedonism and Desert, International Studies in Philosophy (2004)
 

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Review of Mill and the Moral Character of Liberalism, Ethics (2001)
 

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Review of The Cambridge Companion to Mill, International Philosophical Quarterly (1999)
 

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Review of Economic Efficiency and Social Justice: The Development of Utilitarian Ideas in Economics from Bentham to Edgeworth, Ethics (1997)
 

Books

Mill's Utilitarianism--A Reader's Guide (2007)
 

The Blackwell Guide to Mill's Utilitarianism (2006)
 

An Introduction to Mill’s Utilitarian Ethics (2004)
 

Moral Philosophy: Classic Texts and Contemporary Problems (with J. Feinberg) (1977)
 

Contributions to Books

"Mill, John Stuart", Encyclopedia of Ethics (2001)
 

Mill's Qualitative Hedonism, J. S. Mill's Social and Political Thought: Critical Assessments (1998)
 

"Mill, John Stuart", Blackwell's Encyclopedic Dictionary of Business Ethics (1998)
 

Mill's 'Proof' of the Principle of Utility, The Limits of Utilitarianism (1997)
 

Consequentialism, Encyclopedia of Philosophy--Supplement (1996)