Treatise on Basic Philosophy: Ethics: The Good and The RightThe purpose of this Introduction is to sketch our approach to the study of value, morality and action, and to show the place we assign it in the system of human knowledge. 1. VALUE, MORALITY AND ACTION: FACT, THEORY, AND METATHEORY We take it that all animals evaluate some things and some processes, and that some of them learn the social behavior patterns we call 'moral principles', and even act according to them at least some of the time. An animal incapable of evaluating anything would be very short-lived; and a social animal that did not observe the accepted social behavior patterns would be punished. These are facts about values, morals and behavior patterns: they are incorporated into the bodies of animals or the structure of social groups. We distinguish then the facts of valuation, morality and action from the study of such facts. This study can be scientific, philosophic or both. wayan animal evaluates environmental A zoologist may investigate the or internal stimuli; a social psychologist may examine the way children learn, or fail to learn, certain values and norms when placed in certain environments. And a philosopher may study such descriptive or explan atory studies, with a view to evaluating valuations, moral norms, or behavior patterns; he may analyze the very concepts of value, morals and action, as well as their cognates; or he may criticize or reconstruct value beliefs, moral norms and action plans. |
Contents
Value Sources | 19 |
Needs Wants and Values | 34 |
2 | 41 |
Value Conflict and Change | 53 |
VALUE THEORY | 61 |
Value Measures and Calculi | 80 |
4 | 93 |
Morals | 106 |
Egoistic | 218 |
Altruistic | 231 |
ETHICS ET ALIA | 243 |
Ethics and Action | 264 |
METAETHICS | 285 |
Ethics and Reality | 304 |
ACTION | 319 |
Collective Action | 335 |
Sources and Functions of Morals | 119 |
MORALITY CHANGES | 133 |
The Human Condition | 143 |
SOME MORAL ISSUES | 158 |
Public Morals | 179 |
TYPES OF ETHICAL THEORY | 197 |
SOCIAL PHILOSOPHY | 354 |
VALUES AND MORALS FOR A VIABLE FUTURE | 390 |
| 400 | |
| 416 | |
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action theory altruism animals antisocial axiological basic needs biological competition concept conflict consequences consequentialist cooperation cultural DEFINITION deontic logic deontologism economic efficient egoism emotivism enjoy environment environmental epistemology ethical doctrine ethical theories evaluate example fact former freedom goal hand help live hence holism human action immoral individual interests internal involves knowledge latter legitimate wants libertarians liberty logic maxim means metaethics monism moral agents moral code moral feelings moral nihilism moral norms moral philosophers moral principles moral problems morally right Moreover mutual help natural needs and legitimate negative utilitarianism nuclear objective ontology organization particular person political possible POSTULATE protect psychological rational rational egoism reasonable happiness Recall Ch rights and duties rule utilitarianism scientific scientists Sect social behavior social group society survival of humankind things tion truth utilitarianism utility valuable value judgments value system value theory virtue welfare well-being whereas wrong