Thursday, November 16, 2017

Happiness, Organicism, Egoism

While Moore's well-recognized argument against Utilitarianism is that it commits a Naturalistic Fallacy, unexplored is the challenge that his Organicism poses to it.  For, the principle that a Whole is greater than the sum of its Parts surpasses the Utilitarian Calculus, the maximum of which is a mere sum.  It also exposes a deficiency in Egoism--the increment of Happiness that is unattainable outside of an harmonious social whole.  Likewise, Plato's strongest response to Glaucon's Ring of Gyges example in the Republic is that getting away with stealing is less happy than a maximum personal satisfaction that is in harmony with the rest of the Polis, i. e. that the Just person is happier than the Unjust person.  Such an argument also remains relevant against American Individualism.

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