GUIDE TO THE PHILOSOPHY 1938 - 1947.pdf - Rare Books at ...

THE PROBLEM STATED tj
nobody would believe anybody else, and there would be
no point in telling lies. The advantage to others of the
virtue of unselfishness is obvious, and selfishness is reprobated
because society loses by the selfishness which it
reprobates. Thus, virtuous conduct is simply the habit of
acting in ways of which society approves, and society takes
care to secure its performance by punishing with the ostracism
of public opinion, backed by the penalties of the law,
those who have the temerity to outrage its moral code.
The conclusion is the one already reached ; men act morally
not because they are by nature virtuous, but to avoid the
censure of society.
That Honesty is the Best Policy. But the rewards
which society offers to the good that is, to those who
act in ways which conduce to its advantage are not
confined to the intangible benefits of moral approval. By
a hundred maxims of the "Honesty is the best policy"
type, we strive to convince a man that right conduct is- the
path to prosperity and happiness. Nor are the benefits
accruing to "right conduct" confined to this world. Most
social systems have emphasised the pleasure which the
gods take in an honest man, being careful at the same to
paint the results of displeasing the colours.
gods in the liveliest
Thus, every man is bidden to choose between two
different types of life; the first involves taking out a shortterm
insurance policy, the benefits of which are drawn in
terms of earthly pleasures to be enjoyed here and now,
pleasures both dubious so say
the moralists and short
lived; the second envisages a long-term policy involving
the payment of certain premiums in the form of self-
restraint and law-abiding conduct in the present, for
which the holder is compensated with the prospect of an
eternity of divine bliss in the hereafter. It is not surprising
that most men choose the second, and, suppressing their
natural, primitive desires, conform to the requirements of
society by maintaining a decent level of moral behaviour.