Outlines of a Critical Theory of EthicsDewey, John
Philosophy
Outlines of a Critical Theory of Ethics
Dewey, John
Ethics
History is one record of growth in the sense of specific powers.
Its track is marked by the appearance of more and more internal and
distinguishing traits; of new divisions of labor and corresponding
freedom in functioning. It begins with groups in which everything
is massed, and the good is common only in the sense of being
undifferentiated for all. It progresses with the evolution of
individuality, of the peculiar gifts entrusted to each, and hence of
the specific service demanded of each.
The other side, the enlargement of the community of ends, has been
termed growth in "comprehensiveness". History is again a record of
the widening of the social consciousness--of the range of persons
whose interests have to be taken into account in action. There has
been a period in which the community was nothing more than a man's
own immediate family group, this enlarging to the clan, the city,
the social class, the nation; until now, in theory, the community of
interests and ends is humanity itself.
This growth in comprehensiveness is not simply a growth in the number
of persons having a common end. The quantitative growth reacts upon
the _nature_ of the ends themselves. For example, when the conceived
community is small, bravery may consist mainly in willingness to fight
for the recognized community against other hostile groups. As these
groups become themselves included in the moral community, courage must
change its form, and become resoluteness and integrity of purpose in
defending manhood and humanity as such. That is to say, as long as
the community is based largely upon physical facts, like oneness of
blood, of territory, etc., the ideal of courage will have a somewhat
external and physical manifestation. Let the community be truly
spiritual, consisting in recognition of unity of destiny and function
in coöperation toward an all-inclusive life, and the ideal of courage
becomes more internal and spiritual, consisting in loyalty to the
possibilities of humanity, whenever and wherever found.
On this development of moral ideals, and especially of
the growth in "comprehensiveness" as reacting upon the
intrinsic form which the ideal itself takes, see Green, Op.
cit., pp. 264-308, followed by Alexander, Op. cit., pp.
384-398. For the process of change of ideals in general,
see Alexander, pp. 271-292, and 369-371.
CHAPTER II.--THE MORAL STRUGGLE OR THE REALIZING OF IDEALS.
LXVI.
Goodness as a Struggle.
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