The ethics of Hercules : $b A study of man's body as the sole determinant of ethical valuesGivler, Robert Chenault
Philosophy
The ethics of Hercules : $b A study of man's body as the sole determinant of ethical values
Givler, Robert Chenault
Ethics; Psychophysiology
As regards Class C, the concept “good” points to “that which
fulfils expectation,” that is, the _normal_ or _typical_ thing.
These words “normal” and “typical” (“implying the existence of
characteristic qualities”) are related to the word “good” by means
of the conditioned reflex. Our experience with all such things as
motor-cars, for example, involves not only cognition, but eventually
discrimination and comparison as well. Thereafter, when we hear of a
_good_ motor-car, we think of such a one as we have been trained to
regard as capable of a certain kind of performance. The same thing
holds with respect to all other objects and persons concerning whom
we have become discriminative. “Good,” thus employed, seems to imply
that energy is being mobilized to perform selective activity, and
also that the sense organs have become specially attuned to receive
a specific stimulus. The “good” cat is not any old beast of the back
alley, but a mouser with a certain number of catches to her credit.
The “good” grocer (that is, supposedly _normal_) is one who gives
full weight and makes prompt deliveries. Moreover, there is implicit
in all such uses of this value predicate some reference to that
dependability which was discussed in connection with Class B. Here,
then, we may state that Class C implies _the mobilization of energy
for the performance of such action as will maintain our physical
or mental equilibrium_. And this, physiologically speaking, is
ultimately a matter of the progressive coordination of reflexes and
the maintenance of muscular tone.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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