Human Nature and Conduct: An introduction to social psychologyDewey, John
Philosophy
Human Nature and Conduct: An introduction to social psychology
Dewey, John
Habit; Social psychology
For, in truth, a man's judgment of future joys and sorrows is but a
projection of what now satisfies and annoys him. A man of considerate
disposition now feels hurt at the thought of an act bringing harm to
others, and so he is on the lookout for consequences of that sort,
ranking them as of high importance. He may even be so abnormally
sensitive to such consequences that he is held back from needed vigorous
action. He fears to do the things which are for the real welfare of
others because he shrinks from the thought of the pain to be inflicted
upon them by needed measures. A man of an executive type, engrossed in
carrying through a scheme, will react in present emotion to everything
concerned with its external success; the pain its execution brings to
others will not occur to him, or if it does, his mind will easily glide
over it. This sort of consequence will seem to him of slight importance
in comparison with the commercial or political changes which bulk in his
plans. What a man foresees and fails to foresee, what he appraises
highly and at a low rate, what he deems important and trivial, what he
dwells upon and what he slurs over, what he easily recalls and what he
naturally forgets--all of these things depend upon his character. His
estimate of future consequences of the agreeable and annoying is
consequently of much greater value as an index of what he now is than as
a prediction of future results.
One has only to read between the lines to see the enormous difference
that marks off modern utilitarianism from epicureanism, in spite of
similarities in professed psychologies. Epicureanism is too worldly-wise
to indulge in attempts to base present action upon precarious estimates
of future and universal pleasures and pains. On the contrary it says let
the future go, for life is uncertain. Who knows when it will end, or
what fortune the morrow will bring? Foster, then, with jealous care
every gift of pleasure now allotted to you, dwell upon it with lingering
love, prolong it as best you may. Utilitarianism on the contrary was a
part of a philanthropic and reform movement of the nineteenth century.
Its commendation of an elaborate and impossible calculus was in reality
part of a movement to develop a type of character which should have a
wide social outlook, sympathy with the experiences of all sentient
creatures, one zealous about the social effects of all proposed acts,
especially those of collective legislation and administration. It was
concerned not with extracting the honey of the passing moment but with
breeding improved bees and constructing hives.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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