Monday, September 18, 2006
On the Reading...
I'm going to take a turn from what most people have been blogging about and take a look at the reading that was assigned from the book for today: Of the Ultimate Sanction of the Principle of Utility by John Stuart Mill on pages 119-123.
The reading itself addresses two types of sanctions, or sources of approval, that are applicable to all theories of morality: external and internal. Mill explains how utilitarianism fits into these molds and therefore constitutes a genuine moral theory. He goes on to say that "[t]he internal sanction of duty, whatever our standard of duty may be, is one and the same-- a feeling in our own mind" (pg. 120). Essentially, this internal sanction comes down to our Conscience (Mill captialized it, not me). Our internal forces regarding ethics and morality, Mill admits, are simply our personal feelings (as he says, "whatever our standard [...] may be") on the matter.
I think this is very interesting to note. In class, when we talk about utilitarianism, it is often portrayed as a rigid doctrine, but Mill in fact concedes that an internal factor, different for each individual, affects the theory's influence on both its followers and enemies. It seems to me that he admits that one should do whatever one feels is right in the end. He simply believes that utilitarianism can explain what stimulates our consciences. It's an optimistic theory about maximizing goodness and happiness and all of the things we've been talking about in class. Sure, it has its complications, but in the end, practically speaking, we all put a lot of weight on our educated consciences to make decisions and no one rigidly follows any particular doctrine as it would be described in a textbook definition. I like that Mill identifies this point in his writing and doesn't deny it, but rather tries to show that you can have it both ways; your intuition will lead you to tend toward a certain pattern of moral behavior which may or may not be utilitarianism.
The reading itself addresses two types of sanctions, or sources of approval, that are applicable to all theories of morality: external and internal. Mill explains how utilitarianism fits into these molds and therefore constitutes a genuine moral theory. He goes on to say that "[t]he internal sanction of duty, whatever our standard of duty may be, is one and the same-- a feeling in our own mind" (pg. 120). Essentially, this internal sanction comes down to our Conscience (Mill captialized it, not me). Our internal forces regarding ethics and morality, Mill admits, are simply our personal feelings (as he says, "whatever our standard [...] may be") on the matter.
I think this is very interesting to note. In class, when we talk about utilitarianism, it is often portrayed as a rigid doctrine, but Mill in fact concedes that an internal factor, different for each individual, affects the theory's influence on both its followers and enemies. It seems to me that he admits that one should do whatever one feels is right in the end. He simply believes that utilitarianism can explain what stimulates our consciences. It's an optimistic theory about maximizing goodness and happiness and all of the things we've been talking about in class. Sure, it has its complications, but in the end, practically speaking, we all put a lot of weight on our educated consciences to make decisions and no one rigidly follows any particular doctrine as it would be described in a textbook definition. I like that Mill identifies this point in his writing and doesn't deny it, but rather tries to show that you can have it both ways; your intuition will lead you to tend toward a certain pattern of moral behavior which may or may not be utilitarianism.
# posted by Angela @ 3:25 PM 
