Problems of Conduct: An Introductory Survey of EthicsDrake, Durant
Philosophy
Problems of Conduct: An Introductory Survey of Ethics
Drake, Durant
Ethics
(1) Such a point of view gives opportunity for stimulating words. But
it gives no guidance. Observation can teach us, slowly, what conduct
makes for happiness; but what conduct makes for "self-development"?
The fact is, the cultivation of any impulse will develop us in its
direction and preclude our development in other directions; along which
path shall we let ourselves develop? Every choice involves rejection;
infinite possibilities diverge before us; which among the myriad
impulses that call upon us shall we follow? While still young and
plastic, we may develop ourselves into poets or philosophers or lawyers
or businessmen. In which of these ways shall we "realize" ourselves?
[Footnote: Cf. William James, Psychology, vol. I, p. 309: "I am often
confronted by the necessity of standing by one of my empirical selves
and relinquishing the rest. Not that I would not, if I could, be both
handsome and fat and well dressed, and a great athlete, and make a
million a year, be a wit, a bon-vivant, and a lady-killer, as well
as a philosopher; a philanthropist, statesman, warrior, and African
explorer, as well as a 'tone-poet' and saint. But the thing is simply
impossible. The millionaire's work would run counter to the saint's;
the bon vivant and the philanthropist would trip each other up; the
philosopher and the lady-killer could not well keep house in the same
tenement of clay. Such different characters may conceivably at the
outset of life be alike possible to a man. But to make any one of them
actual, the rest must more or less be suppressed."] It is evident that
we need some deeper ground of choice. May it not even be better
drastically to choke our natures, better to get a new nature than to
realize the old? Surely there are perverted natures, which ought not
to be developed. In the name of happiness we can decide on
development or non-development, as the need may be. But the
ideal of "self development" gives us no criterion. It is too sweeping,
too indiscriminate.
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