54 Moral Philosophy: Ideas of Good and Evil, Right and Wrongbe judged in a moral sense according to their utility in providing
the greatest good for the greatest number. There is a hedonistic
aspect to Utilitarianism, defined differently by Bentham and
Mill, but with pleasure as the central theme.
Existentialism: The idea that existence precedes essence, and
that man’s only essential characteristic is that he is free and what
he is or becomes is the product of his free choices. Existentialism
is very contrary to rationalism, in that existentialists believe that
a man becomes what he chooses to be, rather than chooses
because of what he is.
Philosophical positions such as Naturalism, Skepticism, and
Pessimism will all be examined in the following chapters. We
have begun with definitions of ethics and morality, examined
some traditional postulates about reason in ethics, and with a
premise of free choice and the individual’s responsibility for his
actions, referred to those modifiers of human responsibility.
Now we will examine what individual philosophers have to say
about ethics and morality. Obviously there will be great diversity
of opinion, mainly because each begins with a different postu
late. Each has his “summum bonum,” his greatest good, and
based upon what each sees as the highest good, he will develop
his idea of right and wrong, good and evil.
As we work our way through the next six chapters there are
certain key questions to aid understanding that should be asked
when reading about the philosopher’s views. What is his posi
tion about the nature of man? How does he think we know, so that
we can make the judgments about how to act? What is his
concept of the highest good (summum bonum)! How should we
go about achieving the summum bonum? What are his views on
good and evil? What is virtue and how does one become
virtuous? Finally, what constitutes the good life?