display all the ideas for this combination of texts
3 ideas
4019 | Things are good and evil only in reference to pleasure and pain [Locke] |
Full Idea: Things then are good and evil only in reference to pleasure and pain. | |
From: John Locke (Essay Conc Human Understanding (2nd Ed) [1694], 2.20.02) | |
A reaction: This is presumably the seeds of utilitarianism, and is evidently at the core of empiricism. In "Gorgias" Socrates explained why it is wrong. |
12515 | Actions are virtuous if they are judged praiseworthy [Locke] |
Full Idea: It is not thought strange that men everywhere should give the name of virtue to those actions which amongst them are judged praiseworthy. | |
From: John Locke (Essay Conc Human Understanding (2nd Ed) [1694], 2.28.10) | |
A reaction: Wrong. Being very successful in sport is considered praiseworthy, but not virtuous. We praise actions because they are virtuous, so the virtue cannot be constituted merely by the praise. |
22406 | The maximisation of happiness must be done fairly [Rawls, by Smart] |
Full Idea: Rawls has suggested that we should maximise the general happiness only if we do so in a fair way. | |
From: report of John Rawls (Justice as fairness: Political not Metaphysical [1958]) by J.J.C. Smart - Outline of a System of Utilitarianism 6 | |
A reaction: Rawls is usually seen as an opponent of utilitarianism, but if we allow a few supplementary rules we can improve the theory. After all, it has a meta-rule that 'everybody counts as one'. What other supplementary values can there be? Honesty? |