The purely internal morality of ‘meaning well,’ of having a good
Tuesday, February 26th, 2008disposition regardless of what comes of it, naturally led to a
reaction
The purely internal morality of ‘meaning well,’ of having a good
disposition regardless of what comes of it, naturally led to a
reaction. This is generally known as either hedonism or
utilitarianism. It was said in effect that the important thing
morally is not what a man is inside of his own consciousness, but
what he does — the consequences which issue, the charges he
actually effects. Inner morality was attacked as sentimental,
arbitrary, dogmatic, subjective — as giving men leave to dignify
and shield any dogma congenial to their self-interest or any
caprice occurring to imagination by calling it an intuition or an
ideal of conscience. Results, conduct, are what counts; they
afford the sole measure of morality. Ordinary morality, and
hence that of the schoolroom, is likely to be an inconsistent
compromise of both views. On one hand, certain states of feeling
are made much of; the individual must ‘mean well,’ and if his
intentions are good, if he had the right sort of emotional
consciousness, he may be relieved of responsibility for full
results in conduct. But since, on the other hand, certain things
have to be done to meet the convenience and the requirements of
others, and of social order in general, there is great insistence
upon the doing of certain things, irrespective of whether the
individual has any concern or intelligence in their doing. He
must toe the mark; he must have his nose held to the grindstone;
he must obey; he must form useful habits; he must learn
self-control, — all of these precepts being understood in a way
which emphasizes simply the immediate thing tangibly done,
irrespective of the spirit of thought and desire in which it is
done, and irrespective therefore of its effect upon other less
obvious doings.
02/26/2008 01:57 AM
Kevin Plunkett Joins DDWWW Law Firm
Kevin J. Plunkett, a prominent Westchester attorney and litigator with an extensive background in commercial and estate litigation and governmental law, has joined one of the area’s premier law firms — …
02/26/2008 01:57 AM
Va. House, Senate, pass budget bills
Committee to resolve differences in allocations before March 8 The Virginia Senate and House of Delegates passed separate versions of the commonwealth’s budget last Thursday, and a joint committee expects to …
02/26/2008 01:57 AM
Facebook up to it
YOU’VE probably heard of the term Web 2.0. It was invented by computer book publisher Tim O’Reilly and refers to the increasingly large number of internet applications that are collaborative and interactive.
02/26/2008 01:57 AM
Newspaper: NC seeks repayment for mental health services
North Carolina officials are trying recover $59 million from companies that they believe broke the rules in providing a mental-health service called community support, The News & Observer of Raleigh reported …
