Page:An introduction to ethics.djvu/237



§ 1. Morality and Social Institutions. The moral life is essentially a social life. In the moral life, no man liveth to himself and no man dieth to himself. The earliest experience of the child is constituted by its association with other persons. The possibility of good moral conduct depends on the fact that men and women associate with one another, with a view to some end which is conceived as common and regarded as desirable, not as a private advantage, but as a public benefit. The good that is sought is a common good. In all virtuous action the end that is subserved is a common end. When a man acts courageously and temperately and wisely and justly, his action does not terminate in himself. Even when he seems to be consulting only his private advantage, his conduct necessarily has a social reference. The good that he seeks is not isolated. It may include the good of others, or it may result in the pain and misery of others. Every one of our actions, whether we wish it or not, exercises some influence on other human beings in the social community in which we live. By our conduct we help to uphold or undermine the principles on which the various social institutions are