Problems of Conduct: An Introductory Survey of EthicsDrake, Durant
Philosophy
Problems of Conduct: An Introductory Survey of Ethics
Drake, Durant
Ethics
By happiness we mean the steady presence of what we have called intrinsic
goodness and the absence of intrinsic badness; it is as indefinable
as any ultimate element of experience, but as well known to us as
blackness and whiteness or light and dark. Take, as a typical moral
situation, a case in which a thirsty man drinks polluted water. In
the diagram the arrow represents the direction of the flow of time,
and each of the ribbons below represents the stream of consciousness
of an individual concerned-the uppermost being that of the thirsty
man himself, the others those of his wife, children, or friends. The
plus sign early in the drinker's stream of experience stands for the
plus value which drinking the water effects-the gratifying taste of
the water and the allaying of the discomfort of thirst-real values,
whose worth cannot be gainsaid. Following, in his own stream of
experience, are a row of minus signs, indicating the undesirable
penalties in his own life which follow-disease, pain, deprivation of
other goods. No good accrues to others, unless the slight pleasure
of seeing his thirst allayed. But evils follow in their experience:
worry, sympathetic pain at his suffering, expense of doctor's bills,
perhaps (which means deprivation of other possible goods), etc. It
is clear at a glance that the positive good attained is not worth the
lingering and widespread evils; and the act of drinking the polluted
water, though to a very thirsty man a keen temptation, is immoral.
Morality is thus an acting upon a right perspective of life. Personal
morality considers the goods and evils in the one stream of
consciousness, social morality the goods and evils in other conscious
lives concerned. Between them they sum up the law and the prophets.
The best life for humanity is that which is, on the whole, felt best;
not necessarily that which is judged best by this man or that, for
our judgments are narrow and misrepresent actual values,-but that which
has had from beginning to end the greatest total of happiness. No other
ultimate criterion for conduct can ever justify itself, and most
theoretical statements reduce to this. To be virtuous is to be a
virtuoso in life. All sorts of objections have been raised to this
simple, and apparently pagan, way of stating the case; they will be
considered in due time. The reader is asked to refrain from parting
company with the writer, if his prejudices are aroused, until the
consonance of this sketchy account of the basis of morality with
Christianity and all idealism can be demonstrated.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account