バートランド・ラッセル『ヒューマン・ソサエティ-倫理学から政治学へ』- Human Society in Ethics and Politics, 1954
* 原著:Human Society in Ethics and Politics, 1954* 邦訳書:バートランド・ラッセル(著),勝部真長・長谷川鑛平(共訳)『ヒューマン・ソサエティ-倫理学から政治学へ』(玉川大学出版部,1981年7月刊。268+x pp.)
『ヒューマン・ソサエティ』第6章:道徳的義務 n.21 |
Human Society in Ethics and Politics, 1954, chapter 6: Moral obligation, n.21 | |||
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Let us ask: what does, in psychological fact, determine what a man will think objectively right? Primarily moral rules learnt in youth, such as those constituting the Decalogue. But if he is a reflective person, inclined to ethical and political philosophy, he will seek for some unifying principle from which moral rules can be deduced. He will realize that, if his principle is to make a wide appeal, he must not choose a principle which gives a special position to himself or to some group to which he belongs, unless he believes himself or his group strong enough to achieve world domination. We all believe this domination possible as regards men versus animals. We know that we can, on the whole, make animals behave in a way that furthers our interests: sheep and cattle yield wool and milk and flesh, tigers roar behind bars for the amusement of children instead of eating us when they feel so disposed. Black men were similarly regarded so long as the slave trade persisted. Objective rightness is, as these instances show, habitually defined with reference only to a dominant group, so long as its dominance is unquestioned. But when it is not, our ethical philosopher must widen his outlook if he hopes that his doctrine will win general assent. |