第66章
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  trainedingoodhabits,intellectual,moral,andphysical:anditiscommonlybelievedthatthebestoreventheonlyknownmeansofattainingtheseendsinevenatolerabledegreeisaffordedbytheexistinginstitutionoftheFamily,restingasitdoesonabasisoflegalandmoralrulescombined。ForLawfixesaminimumofmutualservicesanddrawsthebroadoutlinesofbehaviourforthedifferentmembersofthefamily,imposingontheparentslifelongunionandcompletemutualfidelityandthedutyofprovidingfortheirchildrenthenecessariesoflifeuptoacertainage;inreturnforwhichitgivesthemthecontroloftheirchildrenforthesameperiod,andsometimeslaysonthelattertheburdenofsupportingtheirparentswhenagedanddestitute:sothatMorality,ininculcatingacompleterharmonyofinterestsandanamplerinterchangeofkindnesses,ismerelyfillingintheoutlinesdrawnbyLaw。

  Wefound,however,inattemptingtoformulatethedifferentdomesticdutiesasrecognisedbyCommonSense,thatthereseemedtobeinmostcasesalargevaguemarginwithrespecttowhichgeneralagreementcouldnotbeaffirmed,andwhich,infact,formsanarenaforcontinualdisputes。ButwehavenowtoobservethatitisjustthismarginwhichrevealsmostclearlythelatentUtilitarianismofcommonmoralopinion:forwhenthequestionisonceraisedastotheprecisemutualdutiese。g。ofhusbandsandwives,orofparentsandchildren,eachdisputantcommonlysupportshisviewbyaforecastoftheeffectsonhumanhappinesstobeexpectedfromthegeneralestablishmentofanyproposedrule;thisseemstobethestandardtowhichthematteris,bycommonconsent,referred。

  Similarlytheclaimtoservicesthatarisesoutofspecialneedwhichnaturalsympathymovesustorecognisemayobviouslyberestedonanutilitarianbasis:indeedtheproperfulfilmentofthisdutyseemssoimportanttothewell-beingofsociety,thatithasinmoderncivilisedcommunitiesgenerallybeenbroughttosomeextentwithinthesphereofGovernmentalaction。Wenoticedthatthemainutilitarianreasonwhyitisnotrightforeveryrichmantodistributehissuperfluouswealthamongthepoor,isthatthehappinessofallisonthewholemostpromotedbymaintaininginadultsgenerallyexceptmarriedwomen,theexpectationthateachwillbethrownonhisownresourcesforthesupplyofhisownwants。ButifIammadeawarethat,owingtoasuddencalamitythatcouldnothavebeenforeseen,another’sresourcesaremanifestlyinadequatetoprotecthimfrompainorseriousdiscomfort,thecaseisaltered;mytheoreticalobligationtoconsiderhishappinessasmuchasmyownbecomesatoncepractical;andIamboundtomakeasmuchefforttorelievehimaswillnotentailagreaterlossofhappinesstomyselforothers。If,however,thecalamityisonewhichmighthavebeenforeseenandavertedbypropercare,mydutybecomesmoredoubtful:forthenbyrelievinghimIseemtobeindangerofencouragingimprovidenceinothers。InsuchacaseaUtilitarianhastoweighthisindirectevilagainstthedirectgoodofremovingpainanddistress:anditisnowmoreandmoregenerallyrecognisedthatthequestionofprovidingforthedestitutehastobetreatedasautilitarianproblemofwhichthesearetheelements,——whetherweareconsideringtheminimumthatshouldbesecuredtothembylaw,orthepropersupplementaryactionofprivatecharity。

  Poverty,however,isnottheonlycaseinwhichitisconducivetothegeneralhappinessthatonemanshouldrenderunboughtservicestoanother。Inanyconditionorcallingamanmayfindhimselfunabletowardoffsomeevil,ortorealisesomelegitimateorworthyend,withoutassistanceofsuchkindashecannotpurchaseontheordinarycommercialterms;——assistancewhich,ontheonehand,willhavenobadeffectonthereceiver,fromtheexceptionalnatureoftheemergency,whileatthesametimeitmaynotbeburdensometothegiver。Here,again,somejuristshavethoughtthatwheretheservicetoberenderedisgreat,andtheburdenofrenderingitveryslight,itmightproperlybemadematteroflegalobligation:sothate。g。ifIcouldsaveamanfromdrowningbymerelyholdingoutahand,IshouldbelegallypunishableifIomittedtheact。But,howeverthismaybe,themoralrulecondemningtherefusalofaidinsuchemergenciesisobviouslyconducivetothegeneralhappiness。

  Further,besidesthese——sotosay——accidentallyunboughtservices,therearesomeforwhichthereisnormallynomarket-price;

  suchascounselandassistanceintheintimateperplexitiesoflife,whichoneisonlywillingtoreceivefromgenuinefriends。Itmuchpromotesthegeneralhappinessthatsuchservicesshouldbegenerallyrendered。Onthisground,aswellasthroughtheemotionalpleasureswhichdirectlyspringfromit,weperceiveFriendshiptobeanimportantmeanstotheUtilitarianend。AtthesametimewefeelthatthecharmofFriendshipislostiftheflowofemotionisnotspontaneousandunforced。ThecombinationofthesetwoviewsseemstobeexactlyrepresentedbythesympathythatisnotquiteadmirationwithwhichCommonSenseregardsallcloseandstrongaffections;

  andtheregretthatisnotquitedisapprovalwithwhichitcontemplatestheirdecay。

  Inallcaseswhereitisconducivetothegeneralhappinessthatunboughtservicesshouldberendered,GratitudeifwemeanbythisasettleddispositiontorepaythebenefitinwhateverwayonecanonafittingopportunityisenjoinedbyUtilitarianismnolessthanbyCommonSense;forexperiencewouldleadustoexpectthatnokindofonerousserviceswillbeadequatelyrenderedunlessthereisageneraldispositiontorequitethem。InfactwemaysaythatageneralunderstandingthatallserviceswhichitisexpedientthatAshouldrendertoBwillbeinsomewayrepaidbyB,isanaturalsupplementofthemoredefinitecontractsbywhichthemainpartofthegreatsocialinterchangeofservicesisarranged。Indeedtheonekindofrequitalmergesintheother,andnosharplinecanbedrawnbetweenthetwo:wecannotalwayssaydistinctlywhethertherequitalofabenefitisapureactofgratitudeorthefulfilmentofatacitunderstanding。

  Thereis,however,acertaindifficultyinthisviewofgratitudeasanalogoustothefulfilmentofabargain。Foritmaybesaidthatoftheservicespeculiartofriendshipdisinterestednessisanindispensablecharacteristic;

  andthatinallcasesbenefitsconferredwithoutexpectationofrewardhaveapeculiarexcellence,andareindeedpeculiarlyadaptedtoarousegratitude;butiftheyareconferredinexpectationofsuchgratitude,theylosethisexcellence;andyet,again,itwouldbeverydifficulttotreatasafriendonefromwhomgratitudewasnotexpected。Thisseems,atfirstsight,aninextricableentanglement:buthere,asinothercases,anapparentethicalcontradictionisfoundtoreduceitselftoapsychologicalcomplexity。Formostofouractionsaredonefromseveraldifferentmotives,eithercoexistingorsucceedingoneanotherinrapidalternation:thusamanmayhaveaperfectlydisinteresteddesiretobenefitanother,andonewhichmightpossiblyprevailoverallconflictingmotivesifallhopeofrequitalwerecutoff,andyetitmaybewellthatthisgenerousimpulseshouldbesustainedbyavaguetrustthatrequitalwillnotbewithheld。

  AndinfacttheapparentpuzzlereallyaffordsanotherillustrationofthelatentUtilitarianismofCommonSense。For,ontheonehand,Utilitarianismprescribesthatweshouldrenderserviceswheneveritisconducivetothegeneralhappinesstodoso,whichmayoftenbethecasewithouttakingintoaccountthegaintooneselfwhichwouldresultfromtheirrequital:

  andontheotherhand,sincewemayinferfromtheactualselfishnessofaveragementhatsuchserviceswouldnotbeadequatelyrenderedwithoutexpectationofrequital,itisalsoconducivetothegeneralhappinessthatmenshouldrecogniseamoralobligationtorepaythem。

  Wehavediscussedonlythemostconspicuousofthedutiesofaffection:butitisprobablyobviousthatsimilarreasoningswouldapplyinthecaseoftheothers。

  Inallsuchcasestherearethreedistinctlinesofargumentwhichtendtoshowthatthecommonlyreceivedviewofspecialclaimsanddutiesarisingoutofspecialrelations,thoughprimafacieopposedtotheimpartialuniversalityoftheUtilitarianprinciple,isreallymaintainedbyawell-consideredapplicationofthatprinciple。First,moralityishereinamannerprotectingthenormalchannelsandcoursesofnaturalbenevolentaffections;andthedevelopmentofsuchaffectionsisofthehighestimportancetohumanhappiness,bothasadirectsourceofpleasure,andasanindispensablepreparationforamoreenlarged``altruism’’。

  Andagain,themerefactthatsuchaffectionsarenormal,causesanexpectationoftheservicesthataretheirnaturalexpression;andthedisappointmentofsuchexpectationsisinevitablypainful。Whilefinally,apartfromtheseconsiderations,wecanshowineachcarestrongutilitarianreasonswhy,generallyspeaking,servicesshouldberenderedtothepersonscommonlyrecognisedashavingsuchclaimsratherthantoothers。

  Wehavetoobserve,inconclusion,thatthedifficultieswhichwefoundinthewayofdeterminingbytheIntuitionalmethodthelimitsandtherelativeimportanceofthesedutiesarereducedintheUtilitariansystem,todifficultiesofhedonisticcomparison。Foreachoftheprecedingargumentshasshownusdifferentkindsofpleasuresgainedandpainsavertedbythefulfilmentoftheclaimsinquestion。Thereare,first,thosewhichtheserviceclaimedwoulddirectlypromoteoravert:

  secondly,thereisthepainandsecondaryharmofdisappointedexpectation,iftheservicebenotrendered:thirdly,wehavetoreckonthevariouspleasuresconnectedwiththeexerciseofnaturalbenevolentaffections,especiallywhenreciprocated,includingtheindirecteffectsontheagent’scharacterofmaintainingsuchaffections。Allthesedifferentpleasuresandpainscombinedifferently,andwithalmostinfinitevariationascircumstancesvary,intoutilitarianreasonsforeachoftheclaimsinquestion;noneofthesereasonsbeingabsoluteandconclusive,buteachhavingitsownweight,whileliabletobeoutweighedbyothers。

  Ipasstoconsideranothergroupofduties,oftencontrastedwiththoseofBenevolence,underthecomprehensivenotionofJustice。

  ``ThatJusticeisusefultosociety’’,saysHume,``itwouldbeasuperfluousundertakingtoprove’’:

  whatheendeavourstoshowatsomelengthis``thatpublicutilityisthesoleoriginofJustice’’:andthesamequestionoforiginhasoccupiedthechiefattentionofJ。S。Mill。Here,however,wearenotsomuchconcernedwiththegrowthofthesentimentofJusticefromexperiencesofutility,aswiththeUtilitarianbasisofthematurenotion;whileatthesametimeiftheanalysispreviouslygivenbecorrect,theJusticethatiscommonlydemandedandinculcatedissomethingmorecomplexthanthesewritershaverecognised。WhatHumee。g。meansbyJusticeisratherwhatIshouldcallOrder,understoodinitswidestsense:theobservanceoftheactualsystemofrules,whetherstrictlylegalorcustomary,whichbindtogetherthedifferentmembersofanysocietyintoanorganicwhole,checkingmalevolentorotherwiseinjuriousimpulses,distributingthedifferentobjectsofmen’sclashingdesires,andexactingsuchpositiveservices,customaryorcontractual,asarecommonlyrecognisedasmattersofdebt。AndthoughtherehaverarelybeenwantingplausibleempiricalargumentsfortherevolutionaryparadoxquotedbyPlato,that``lawsareimposedintheinterestofrulers’’,itremainstruethatthegeneralconducivenesstosocialhappinessofthehabitofOrderorLaw-observance,is,asHumesays,tooobvioustoneedproof;indeeditisofsuchparamountimportancetoacommunity,thatevenwhereparticularlawsareclearlyinjuriousitisusuallyexpedienttoobservethem,apartfromanypenaltywhichtheirbreachmightentailontheindividual。Wesaw,however,thatCommonSensesometimesbidsusrefuseobediencetobadlaws,because``weoughttoobeyGodratherthanmen’’

  thoughthereseemstobenoclearintuitionastothekindordegreeofbadnessthatjustifiesresistance;andfurtherallowsus,inspecialemergencies,toviolaterulesgenerallygood,for``necessityhasnolaw’’,and``saluspopulisupremalex’’。

  TheseandsimilarcommonopinionsseematleasttosuggestthatthelimitsofthedutyofLaw-observancearetobedeterminedbyutilitarianconsiderations。While,again,theUtilitarianviewgetsridofthedifficultiesinwhichtheattempttodefineintuitivelythetrulylegitimatesourceoflegislativeauthorityinvolvedus;atthesametimethatitjustifiestosomeextenteachofthedifferentviewscurrentastotheintrinsiclegitimacyofgovernments。For,ontheonehand,itfindsthemoralbasisofanyestablishedpoliticalorderprimarilyinitseffectsratherthanitscauses;sothat,generallyspeaking,obediencewillseemduetoanydefactogovernmentthatisnotgoverningverybadly。Ontheotherhand,insofaraslawsoriginatinginaparticularwayarelikelytobe1better,or2morereadilyobserved,itisaUtilitariandutytoaimatintroducingthismodeoforigination:andthusinacertainstageofsocialdevelopmentitmayberightthate。g。

  a`representativesystem’shouldbepopularlydemanded,orpossiblyinextremecasesevenintroducedbyforce:while,again,thereisexpediencyinmaintaininganancientmodeoflegislation,becausemenreadilyobeysuch:andloyaltytoadispossessedgovernmentmaybeonthewholeexpedient,evenatthecostofsometemporarysufferinganddisorder,inorderthatambitiousmenmaynotfindusurpationtooeasy。Here,aselsewhere,Utilitarianismatoncesupportsthedifferentreasonscommonlyputforwardasabsolute,andalsobringsthemtheoreticallytoacommonmeasure,sothatinanyparticularcasewehaveaprincipleofdecisionbetweenconflictingpoliticalarguments。

  Aswasbeforesaid,thisLaw-observance,insofaratleastasitaffectstheinterestsofotherindividuals,iswhatwefrequentlymeanbyJustice。Itseems,however,thatthenotionofJustice,exhaustivelyanalysed,includesseveraldistinctelementscombinedinasomewhatcomplexmanner:wehavetoinquire,therefore,whatlatentutilitiesarerepresentedbyeachoftheseelements。

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