Conclusion: the subjective feeling, or the conscience-like
feeling that occurs when one violates their duties, helps authenticate Mill’s
utilitarianism theory, and is the ultimate sanction.
Premises:
1. Any philosophy, utilitarianism included, has a
necessary obligation to provide sufficient reasons it is to be followed, as
well as risks one takes if he chooses not to subscribe to it. (¶1, 2)
a.
Some obligations, or sanctions, come from
within, and these are internal sanctions. (¶4)
i. Internal
sanctions are a mental conscience and a sense of duty. (¶4)
ii. Internal
sanctions also guard against disruptions to the sense of duty. (¶4)
b.
Some sanctions come from without, and these are
external sanctions. (¶3)
i. External sanctions
are a sense of societal pressure, consisting of a prospect of gaining others’
approval and avoiding their disapproval. (¶3)
ii. It is also
linked to the concept that God will have rewards to give, or punishments to
inflict, due to our individual obligations to act distinct from our selfish
tendencies. (¶3)
2.
These feelings of moral obligations are natural,
however they are not inborn, but learned.
a.
Morality is not an inherent part of human
nature. (¶8)
i. One must be
cultivated, by experience, to a certain degree of development, in order to be
considered moral. (¶8)
ii. Since, in
early development, any external sanction can serve as a sufficient early
impression on the conscience, therefore, the conscience can perilously be
pointed in any direction. (¶8)
b.
Even the moral associations that are learned by
experience can be reasoned away, if they are forced upon, rather than
cultivated with, one’s developing conscience. (¶9)
i. It is
possible for one to subscribe to moral associations that are entirely false. (¶9)
ii. However,
one’s own abilities to analyze and deduct will prevent these false associations
from taking hold, and will be scrutinized away. (¶9)
3.
Happiness is one of the primary motivators for
utilitarianism, and recognition of such will contribute to the strength of one’s
morality. (¶10)
a.
Happiness, a cooperation with others, consists
of a natural desire to be in harmony with society, of which one is regarded as
a part of a whole, in addition to the natural desire to advance society as a
whole. (¶10)
i. Since one
is cooperating with others, one has the sense that they are serving interests
other than their own. (¶10)
ii. It also
leads one to attribute his feelings toward the good, or at minimum, a
consideration for doing well. (¶10)
b.
A mindset of unity contributes greatly to one’s subjective
feelings, and these can be fostered through psychological construct or the
assistance of religion. (¶10)
4.
Utilitarianism recognizes also that societal
feelings of the age can contribute to, as well as be opposed to, its most basic
precepts. (¶11)
a.
Though systems of instruction were mentioned (¶10),
these are not totally necessary and utilitarianism can take hold in a society
without them, if a few individuals are cultivated. (¶11)
b.
Society is generally competitive, and
individuals often feel that they are in a rivalry with each other for
happiness. (¶11)
c.
One must recognize if this is preventing the
expression of feelings. (¶11)
i. If so, one must be aware that it must not
contrast with his aims of doing well. (¶11)
ii. Oftentimes,
these feelings are inferior to their selfish desires. (¶11)
d.
Those that possess a strong sense of doing well
and have apparent motives to care for others have a well-developed mind, and
are bound by external sanctions and internal sanctions. (¶11)
e.
Possessing this conviction is the ultimate
sanction. It is the ultimate sanction of morality, which is the greatest
happiness. (¶11)
Premise 1 was well done, and you covered and explained both internal and external sanctions in an easily understandable manner. You properly assessed the feelings of moral sanctions as being natural while explaining that they are not innate in your second premise. However, part b seemed to be a little difficult to understand. While part a of your third premise was solid, I believe part b could have made use of some extra explaining. However, I found your final premise slightly confusing as to concluding your argument. What is "this conviction" and what makes it the ultimate sanction? How does it authenticate Mill's theory?
ReplyDeleteYour argument helped me understand internal and external sanctions, as well as moral obligations. Your argument was very clear and logical up until premise four. In premise four, do you say that the constantly changing feelings of society dictate what factors of utilitarianism are accepted and rejected? Also, have trouble understanding how 4c and 4ci connect. How does the inability to express feeling connect to the inability to do well?
ReplyDeleteI find it interesting that Mill thinks that all morality is learned. I watched this movie called Chimpanzee and this camera crew followed around a little baby chimp who was all alone and a big chimp found him and took care of him and raised him. I'm sure it wasn't convenient for the big chimp to take in the little one and share it's food with him and carry it around all day, but he did anyway. Perhaps this is evidence that morality does exist in nature? It is also interesting how the definition of happiness is perceived throughout society. Mill defines it as being in harmony with the rest of society, and yet a great majority people are seeking to achieve greater wealth than most people and are only working for personal gain and not the greater good.
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