Outlines of a Critical Theory of EthicsDewey, John
Philosophy
Outlines of a Critical Theory of Ethics
Dewey, John
Ethics
The bad man is unstable and double-minded. He is not one person, but a
group of conflicting wills. So far as he is really bad he becomes as
many persons as he has desires. His conduct cannot be made universal.
He always makes exceptions in favor of himself. He does not want moral
relations abolished, but relaxed or deflected in his own case, while
they still hold for other men.
This is the truth at the basis of Kant's contention
regarding goodness as conduct whose maxim is capable of
generalization. See also Bradley, Op. cit., pp. 261-271.
And Alexander, Op. cit., pp. 309-312.
LXVIII.
Goodness in its Relation to the Struggle.
1. Two aspects of this we have already noted; one, that of
conscientiousness, or habitual alertness and responsiveness of
intelligence to the nature of obligation, both in general and as to
the specific acts which are obligatory. The other is that goodness,
in this relation, consists in _progressive_ adjustment, involving
aspiration as to future conduct, and correlative humility as to present
achievements of character.
2. We may state what has already been suggested, that goodness as
self-sacrifice or self-renunciation has also its place here. The moral
attitude is one of renunciation, because, on account of the constantly
growing wants and circumstances, the satisfactions which belong to
the actually realized self must be given up for active goods. That
the self-sacrifice takes largely the form of the surrender of private
interests to the welfare of the whole, is explained by what has just
been said regarding selfishness. Self-sacrifice is not in any way the
moral end or the last word. Life is lost that it may be found. The
smaller local life of the private self is given up in order that the
richer and fuller life of the social or active self may be realized.
But none the less the self-sacrifice at the time that it is made is
genuine and real. While it is involved in the very nature of morality
that moral conduct shall bring greater activity, larger life, the
motive of the agent in self-sacrifice is not to give up the lesser
satisfaction for the sake of getting a greater. It is only so far as
he is already moral that he is convinced that the new duty will bring
satisfaction, and his conviction is not one of sense, but of faith.
To the agent at the time of action, it is a real satisfaction which is
given up for one that is only ideal, and given up because the ideal
satisfaction is ethical, active--one congruent to duty, while the
actual satisfaction is only pathological; that is, congruent to the
actualized self--to the having, instead of the doing self.
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