Unselfishness: The Role of the Vicarious Affects in Moral Philosophy and Social Theory

142 Pages·1995·8.23 MB·English

by  Nicholas Rescher

Nicholas Rescher
The Role of the Vicarious Affects in Moral
Philosophy and Social Theory
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The Role orthe Vicarious Affects in Moral
Philosophy and Social Theory
Nicholas Rescher
In the Preface to this book Nicholas Rescher
says: HThe central aim of the book is to
expound a case for the significance and
fundamentality of moral considerations. 1
want to argue-against a vast host ofecon
omists, game theorists, and decision theo
rists-that one should not take the view that
rationality confiicts with morality and hold
that being moral demands departures from
being rational. And 1 wish to contend
against a vast host of philosophers and
social theorists that morality is not simply
a product of intelligent selfishness, of self
interested rationality in an unfamiliar
guise. The virtually universal practice of
present-day social scientists working in
such fields as economics, game theory, de
cision theory, and the theory of social
interaction is to construe the concept of
rationality in terms of self-interest, and to
regard conduct that is not self-interested
and perhaps even altruistic-as anomalous
and outside the sphere of effective rational
ization."
In criticizing the stance of contemporary
moral philosophers and social theorists,
Dr. Rescher defends the position of the
older moralists-that the worth of altruism
is irreducible and that its rationalization
does not require a recourse to prudential
self-interest. He supports his theses both
by an analysis of detailed examples and by
a theoretical critique ofutilitarian morality.
Nicholas Rescher is University Profes
sor ofPhilosophy at the University ofPitts
burgh and Editor of the American Philo
sophical Quarterly. He has published over
twenty books on various topics in philosophy
and social theory.
Unselfishness

Unselfishness
The Role of the
Vicarious Affects
in Moral Philosophy
and Social Theory
Nicholas Rescher
University of Pittsburgh Press
c1\,
Copyright © 1975, University of Pittsburgh Press
AlI rights reserved
Feffer and Simons, Inc., London
Manufactured in the United States of America
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Rescher, Nicholas.
Unselfishness: the role of the vicarious affects
in moral philosophy and social theory.
Bibliography: p. 115
Includes index.
1. Altruism. 2. Ethics. 3. Social ethics.
4. Utilitarianism. 1. Title.
BJ1474.R47 171'.S 75-9123
ISBN O-S229-330S-X
For R. M. Rare
In cordial friendship

Contents
Preface
IX
1/ The Vicarious Affects and the Modalities
of Unselfishness 3
Sympathy as a "Moral Sentiment" 3
Vicarious Affects and Moral Distance 4
The Vicarious Affects and Unselfishness 9
Ethical Legitimacy of the Vicarious Affects and Moral
Justification of DifferentiaI Treatment 14
Appendix: Sidgwick on Benevoience 17
2/ The Workings of the Vicarious Affects 22
Participatory Transfer 22
The Nature of Affective Diffusion 24
The Method of Calculation 26
The Vicarious Affects and Strategies of Choice 28
3/ Rationality and the "Prisoner's Dilemma" 33
The Paradoxicai Aspect of the Prisoner's Dilemma 33
Alternatives to Prudence 35
Sorne Lessons of the Prisoner's Dilemma 37
The Perils of Naive Benevolence: The Saint's
Dîlemma 41
The Positive Affects and the "Social Point of View" 44
Aspects of the Prisoner's Dilemma Problem from the Angle
of Internalization 47
4/ Conflict Situations and the Social Point of View 52
The Idea of an "Impartial Arbiter's Approach" to
Conflict Resolution 52
viii Contents
Possible Advantages of Arbitration and the Social Point
of View 60
Internalization of the Welfare of Others as a Shift Toward
the Arbitrator's Approach 63
Pressures Toward the Social Point of View 66
5/ Vicarious Affects and the Critique of Utilitarianism 70
Preliminary Observations 70
HEachIsto CountforOne, NoOnefor MoreThanOne" 70
"The Greatest Happiness of the Greatest Number" 79
The Defects of Utilitarian Individualism 91
The Social Aspect 94
6/ The Social Rationale of Benevolence 98
The Gap Between Morality and Interest 98
Morality and the Vicarious Affects 100
The Conception of an "Adequate Moral Economy" 102
The Hegelian Perspective 106
The Idealistic Aspect 107
Conclusion 110
Bibliography 115
Name Index 125
Subject Index 127