Fifteen Sermons and Other Writings on Ethics by Joseph Butler (review)

[...]we have conscience, which more-or-less reliably informs us of what virtue requires, and of how we have an "obligation" to live (although unfortunately we are liable to deceive ourselves about what our conscience is telling us). [...]we have self-love, which inclines us to seek our own...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of the History of Philosophy 2018-07, Vol.56 (3), p.563-564
Main Author: Wedgwood, Ralph
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bentham, Jeremy (1748-1832)
Editorials
Ethics
Hobbes, Thomas (1588-1679)
Hume, David (1711-1776)
Kant, Immanuel (1724-1804)
Motivation
Newton, Isaac (1642-1727)
Sermons
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Summary:[...]we have conscience, which more-or-less reliably informs us of what virtue requires, and of how we have an "obligation" to live (although unfortunately we are liable to deceive ourselves about what our conscience is telling us). [...]we have self-love, which inclines us to seek our own happiness and pleasure. According to Butler, these motivating principles are hierarchically structured: the role or function of conscience is to regulate how we are motivated both by the particular passions and by self-love; the role of self-love is to regulate how we are motivated by the particular passions; and the role of the particular passions—when they are properly regulated by conscience and self-love—is to help us to lead a life that is both happy and virtuous.
ISSN:0022-5053
1538-4586
1538-4586
DOI:10.1353/hph.2018.0061