Impartiality and friendship

Abstract

In recent years many philosophers have complained of an excessive emphasis in mainstream ethics on impartiality. This article evaluates their criticisms and tries to figure out just what is at issue between the critics (“partialists”) and those they criticize (“impartialists”). To a considerable extent the partialists’ objections are based on a failure to distinguish different levels at which impartiality might be (and is) advocated. Insofar as that is the case, the disagreements are terminological and the criticisms misfire. But other disagreements persist, and the second half of the paper attempts to articulate and clarify them.