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Single Idea 4858

[filed under theme 23. Ethics / D. Deontological Ethics / 3. Universalisability ]

Full Idea

He who lives under the guidance of reason, desires for others the good which he seeks for himself.

Gist of Idea

A rational person will want others to have the goods he seeks for himself

Source

Baruch de Spinoza (The Ethics [1675], IV Pr 51)

Book Ref

Spinoza,Benedict de: 'Ethics, Improvement of Understanding, Letters', ed/tr. Elwes,R [Dover 1955], p.222

A Reaction

Obviously a very Kantian idea. It implies that all rational people desire similar goods, but it is rational to collect stamps but not want other people to do so as well. I don't think you should want what I want for Christmas.

The 22 ideas with the same theme [seeing rules for action as universal guidelines]:

23396 Mozi condemns partiality, which is the cause of all the great harms in the world [Mozi]
23397 Those who are against impartiality still prefer impartial protectors [Mozi]
6031 The essence of propriety is consistency [Cicero]
4853 Rational people are self-interested, but also desire the same goods for other people [Spinoza]
4858 A rational person will want others to have the goods he seeks for himself [Spinoza]
8026 Almost any precept can be consistently universalized [MacIntyre on Kant]
6185 No one would lend money unless a universal law made it secure, even after death [Kant]
6187 Universality determines the will, and hence extends self-love into altruism [Kant]
8029 You can't have a morality which is supplied by the individual, but is also genuinely universal [Hegel, by MacIntyre]
20763 When my personal freedom becomes involved, I must want freedom for everyone else [Sartre]
2710 Moral judgements must invoke some sort of principle [Hare]
22409 We don't have a duty to ensure that others do their duty [Williams,B]
4122 If the self becomes completely impartial, it no longer has enough identity to worry about its interests [Williams,B]
4121 Why should I think of myself as both the legislator and the citizen who follows the laws? [Williams,B]
21051 Check your rationality by thinking of your opinion pronounced by the supreme court [Rawls]
6446 In ethics we abstract from our identity, but not from our humanity [Nagel]
3282 The general form of moral reasoning is putting yourself in other people's shoes [Nagel]
3294 As far as possible we should become instruments to realise what is best from an eternal point of view [Nagel]
3254 If we can decide how to live after stepping outside of ourselves, we have the basis of a moral theory [Nagel]
3264 We should see others' viewpoints, but not lose touch with our own values [Nagel]
4285 As soon as we drop self-interest and judge impartially, we find ourselves agreeing about conflicts [Scruton]
15674 One can universalise good advice, but that doesn't make it an obligation [Finlayson]