review: utilitarian moral theory
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Review: Utilitarian Moral Theory. 利 害 li-hai benefit-harm standard selects social discourse 道 dao guide Everyone's guiding rules, attitudes norms Reform tradition--shocking results moral reform impasse Partial solution: Rule out collectively self-defeating moralities - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Review: Utilitarian Moral Theory• 利 害 li-haibenefit-harm standard selects social
discourse 道 daoguide – Everyone's guiding rules, attitudes norms– Reform tradition--shocking resultsmoral reform
impasse• Partial solution: Rule out collectively self-
defeating moralities– Morally oppose themselves as public morality– Like Socrates, doesn't tell us the correct morality
• And not technically inconsistent• Just can't be publicly acknowledged
Other Mencius Background• Yang Zhu: Ethical egoism
– Not psychological--people are naturally social• But shouldn't be--authority of 天 tiannature:sky • Command 命 in form of life capacity 氣
• Classification of ethics– Metaethics: Socrates knowable, Confucius
traditional (?)– Moral psychology: West egoistic, Confucius-
Mozi-Yang social– Normative theory: Confucius: 禮 liritual, Mozi 利
libenefit Yang woI 我
Mencius Response• Prefers not to 辯 biandistinction dispute but must
respond to Yang and Mo– Use Yang to answer Mo– Natural, inborn capacity, but more detail
• Strategy in burial argument– Tradition arises from "natural inclinations"– Commanded by 天 tiannature:sky and not mere
convention
Four Beginnings 端• The 心 xinheart-mind has four impulse
patterns• Lead to the four classic virtues
–側隱 compassion 仁 benevolence–羞惡 shame 義 yimorality
–辭 讓 deference 禮 liritual
–是非 shi/feithis:right/not this:wrong 智 zhiwisdom
QuestionsQuiz 3. This sentence is false.
Why is the above sentence a paradox? Is “All language distorts the Dao” also a paradox?
Explain.Notice Mid-Term Questions
Stories: • Child by the well and 仁 renhumanity
– Problems as answer tMozi– Problems as a defense of Confucianism
• Strong and Weak versions– Weak is probably shared by Yang-Mo– Strong is implausible for 禮 liritual – where it is
needed• Mozi's influence -- 仁 renhumanity 義 yimorality
• Interesting problem for 義 yimorality
Developmental Innatism: • Plant analogy
– Morality not fully known at birth• Soil = economic climate• Water + nourishment = self-
reflection– Valuing one’s inclination
• Seed = innate tendencies– The spontaneous, pre-social reactions
• Sprout = beginning reactions• Weeds = selfish desires
– Problem of evil
Sagehood Ideal• Banyan tree = sagehood
–Universal concern• Flood-like 浩 然之氣 qibreath
• Heart and 智 zhiwisdom responsiveness–Language too coarse, imprecise
• Situational shi-feithis-not this 是 非–Combine judgment and inclination–Spontaneous and natural – 氣 qibreath link ? Unclear
Two Principles • Link fact & duty:
– "Is-ought": “is” does not imply “ought”• Undermines appeal to nature
– "Ought-can:" ought implies can• Is moral reform possible
• Can't get an 'ought' from an 'is'– Why follow the heart? Why follow 天 tiannature:sky
– Distinguishing feature– Health (like finger)
Mencius and Daoism• Prefers not to 辯 biandistinction dispute
– Doesn’t like language– Doesn’t need language: intuition
• Foolish man and plants• Don’t force growth with theory (language and
distinctions)
Daoism: Early History• Hermits and Yang Zhu 楊朱 : No theory
of 道• First theoretical Daoist: Shen Dao 慎 到
– Natural performance daoguide 道– Sum of all actual performance 道 daoguides is
the great dao 大 道– You will follow 大 道— no knowledge of 道
needed
Three Determinisms• Logical, Scientific, Fatalistic
– What will be will be, by predictable laws, out of human control
– 慎 到 draws fatalistic conclusion from logical determinism
• Paradox of "abandon knowledge"– 道 Dao as the object of knowledge– Obey it only if you ignore it
Laozi 老子• Textual issues• The Zhuangzi's history
–Between Shendao and Zhuangzi• Abandon knowledge w/o relying on
fatalism–Argument from freedom from social
control–Spontaneity
Analysis of "Knowledge"• Discourse 道 daos: come in
opposites–Names 名 (opposites)–Distinctions (implied: one per pair)–Desires 欲
• Innovation in seeing desires generated by names/distinctions
– 為 weideem:do action
Problem: Same Paradox?• Distinction of natural and conventional
desires– Forms of social constraint– Language distorts by gross distinction while
there are infinite shades in nature • Desire to be natural• Act on the desire (forgetting)• 無 為 wulack weideem:do a paradox
– Wu-wei and yet wu-bu-wei 無不為– no concept guided action
No Constant Dao • 道可道非常道 Any dao that guides is not
constant dao-ing• Because based on 名 and
– 名可名非常名 Any name that names is not constant name-ing
• Negative 道 daoguide by emphasizing opposite virtues– Passive, lower, water, cool, submissive,
female– Constant 道 daoguide ? Unspeakable?
Relevance to Mencius• The intuitions that Confucians think are
natural are socially cultivated–Burial, filial piety, attitudes to authority–Status, wealth, style
• Hong Kong slavery– Innate 天 道 is very thin
• Eat, sleep, children, farm, small villages
Common Anti-language Problem• 墨 辯 Mohist semantic analysis:
– To say “language bad” is bad– Paradox of the liar
• This sentence is false• All Sentences are false
– Not a paradox– But false
• Challenge to Zhuangzi
Puzzle
• All language distorts the 道 dao
• Distorts the 道 dao