Out of everything I have read so
far for this seminar, I have thoroughly enjoyed reading Hutcheson’s response to
Mandeville. I found it very intriguing when Hutcheson said, “the world is well
provided for mankind, but men are capable of a great diversity of pleasures”
(Hutcheson). It is a different way to look at the way our world functions. Lots of the people who surround you have their basic necessities
covered. They have access to food, water, and shelter; everything they really
need to be happy. But lots of the people who surround you are not truly
satisfied with their life. They want affection, money, etc. Mankind wants so
much more than what is already provided in the world we live in. That’s what
separates us from other species, which Hutcheson in an indirect way contradicts Mandeville’s argument. Mandeville compares humans to animals
saying that they both work for self-interest. However, the difference between
an animal’s self-conquest and a humans is that humans have access to a greater
diversity of pleasures and interests.
I also found it very interesting when Hutcheson presented the ship-wreck scenario. He brought up the idea of good versus evil. The ship wrecked and killed numerous people but at the same time that same shipping company supports a mass of people through trade. While the wreck was a terrible event, the company was good for the whole meaning that the good weighed out the bad in this situation. It is a very different way to look at tragedies or "evil". If you were to take a similar situation today, and think in similar ways as Hutcheson, you would be criticized and judged for your selfish thinking. People tend to want to focus on the bad.
Hutcheson, Frances. Remarks Upon the Fable of the Bees (1750): n. pag. Web. 9 Sept. 2013. <http://socserv2.socsci.mcmaster.ca/~econ/ugcm/3ll3/hutcheson/remarks.htm>.
Hutcheson's defense of commerce is indeed interesting. Why does he find it necessary, exactly, to go out of his way to show that even if shipwrecks are sad, we are happier with shipping and trade than without? What aspect of Mandeville's argument requires such a response? it is interesting that you say that people would respond to Hutcheson today by saying that he was selfish. Do you think that people are actually secretly Mandevillean when they dwell on tragedies? When you say "tragedies or evil," what exactly do you mean? Do you mean evil in a moral sense, or a metaphor for anything unfortunate. What does this episode tell us about how Hutcheson thinks about difficult notions like evil?
ReplyDeleteI also find Hutcheson interesting. I find it very helpful that this material is becoming more sensible, which in turn, makes it more enjoyable overall to read. Well done on this post.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on how humans are not satisfied with their lives. Our species is always in want of something else, whether it be luxurious items or affection. I also enjoyed the Hutcheson's shipwreck scenario. Good job.
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