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Review: Utilitarian Moral Theory

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

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Review: Utilitarian Moral Theory

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  1. Review: Utilitarian Moral Theory • 利 害 li-haibenefit-harm standard selects social discourse 道daoguide • Everyone's guiding rules, attitudes norms • Reform tradition--shocking resultsmoral 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

  2. 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

  3. 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

  4. 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

  5. Questions Quiz 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

  6. 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

  7. 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

  8. 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

  9. 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)

  10. 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)

  11. 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

  12. 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

  13. 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

  14. 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

  15. 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 wulackweideem:do a paradox • Wu-wei and yet wu-bu-wei無不為 • no concept guided action

  16. 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?

  17. 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

  18. 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

  19. Puzzle • All language distorts the 道 dao • Distorts the 道 dao

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