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

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418<br />

* ETHICS<br />

of by me (subjectivist theory), or expedient for me (instru-<br />

mentalist theory), or useful for me (utilitarian theory);<br />

or good may be equ<strong>at</strong>ed with some other concept, for<br />

example with pleasure, as it is by the hedonists. For the<br />

it will be convenient<br />

purpose of the ensuing exposition<br />

to distinguish two senses in which the word "good" is<br />

frequently used; the first, to denote wh<strong>at</strong>ever is regarded<br />

as ultim<strong>at</strong>ely valuable in and for itself, and not as a means<br />

to any other thing; the second, to denote moral worth, or<br />

virtue. I shall, so far as possible, abstain from using the<br />

word "good", and employ instead the expressions "value*'<br />

and "moral virtue", when I wish to denote these two<br />

frequent meanings of "good".<br />

(I) SUMMARY OF CONCLUSIONS REACHED IN<br />

COURSE OF FOREGOING EXPOSITION<br />

In the course of the discussions which have occupied<br />

Part II certain conclusions have been provisionally reached.<br />

I propose to enumer<strong>at</strong>e such of these as are relevant to<br />

the present discussion.<br />

(i) Conclusion th<strong>at</strong> Ultim<strong>at</strong>e Values Exist. There is<br />

the conclusion th<strong>at</strong>, whenever a genuine ethical judgment<br />

is passed, the existence of an ultim<strong>at</strong>e value, th<strong>at</strong> is to<br />

say, of something which is considered to be valuable for<br />

its own sake and not as a means to something else, is<br />

entailed. 1 The qualific<strong>at</strong>ion which is implied by the<br />

words "genuinely ethical" is important, for, if any form<br />

of subjectivist theory is true, no genuine ethical judgment<br />

ever is passed. In order th<strong>at</strong> an ethical judgment may be<br />

genuine and not merely a disguised form of some nonethical<br />

judgment , in order, to take an example, th<strong>at</strong> the<br />

judgment "X is good" may mean th<strong>at</strong> X has a certain<br />

ethical quality, and not merely th<strong>at</strong> X happens to be<br />

approved of by me, it is necessary<br />

th<strong>at</strong> the universe should<br />

contain factors which possess ethical characteristics in<br />

*See Chapter V, pp. 166*170.

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