The origin and development of the moral ideasWestermarck, Edward
Philosophy
The origin and development of the moral ideas
Westermarck, Edward
Ethics; Ethics -- History; Prehistoric peoples
It is in their capacity of volitions that intentions are subjects of
moral judgments. What is perfectly independent of the will is no
proper object of moral blame or moral praise. On the other hand, any
volition may have a moral value. But, so far as I can see, there are
volitions which are not intentions. A person is morally accountable
also for his deliberate wishes, and the reason for this is that a
deliberate wish is a volition. I am aware that, by calling deliberate
wishes "volitions," I offend against the terminology generally adopted
by psychologists. However, a deliberate wish is not only from a moral
point of view--as being a proper subject of moral valuation--but
psychologically as well, so closely akin to a decision, that there
must be a common term comprising both. In the realm of conations,
deliberate wishes and decisions form together a province by
themselves. In contradistinction to mere conative impulses, they are
expressions of a person's character, of his will. A deliberate wish
may just as well as a decision represent his "true self." It has been
argued that a person may will one thing and yet wish the opposite
thing. Locke observes:--"A man whom I cannot deny, may oblige me to
use persuasions to another, which, at the same time I am speaking, I
may wish may not prevail upon him. In this case it is plain the will
and desire run counter, I will the action that {207} tends one way,
whilst my desire tends another, and that the direct contrary way."[11]
Yet in this case I either do not intend to persuade the man, but only
to discharge my office by speaking to him words which are apt to have
a persuasive effect on him; or, if I do intend to persuade him, I do
not in the same moment feel any deliberate wish to the contrary,
although I may feel such a wish before or afterwards. We cannot
simultaneously have an intention to do a thing and a deliberate wish
not to do it.
[Footnote 11: Locke, _Essay concerning Human Understanding_, ii. 21.
30 (_Philosophical Works_, p. 219).]
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