I'm pleased to announce that the Philosophical Society's Members' Weekend
for 2021 will be held on Saturday 4th and Sunday
5th September. I have the honour of organising the
event again, and am very much hoping that we will be back in Rewley House in
Oxford, socialising with old friends, as normal. If COVID restrictions don't
allow for this, however, we will hold the event via Zoom, as we did last
year. We are also looking into the possibility of holding a hybrid
"In-Real-Life/On-line" Weekend, where you will be able to choose to attend
either in person at Rewley House or via the internet, according to how you
feel on the day.
As usual (and COVID permitting), the weekend will coincide with our annual
dinner and presentation of prizes on the Saturday evening. This year's
dinner will be particularly special, coming just two weeks before our
long-serving President, Marianne Talbot, steps down from her role as
Director of Studies in Philosophy at OUDCE. We hope as many members as
possible will join us in celebrating Marianne's achievements, and thanking
her for everything she has done for the public understanding of philosophy,
both in Oxford and around the world. Further information and booking details
will be available on the website from May / June.
The topic for this year is: Why Should I be Good? – the
question at the heart of Moral Philosophy or Ethics. It is arguably a much
harder question than the alternative "Why should We be good?". After all,
it's very easy to see why one would want "We" to be good, because it makes
for a safer and more pleasant world for us all to live in. The more
challenging question is: Why should *I*be good? Even if I have
a strong view of how I believe others should behave, and hence the rules I
would ask them to live by, why should *I*choose to behave that way?
If I can promote such rules, while at the same time acting purely in
my own self-interest, and get away with it, then why shouldn't I do
this? We live in a Darwinian world after all – a world of
dog-eat-dog, where only the strongest survive and the weakest die out. I
wouldn't be here, faced with such choices, if my ancestors hadn't competed
against weaker individuals and put their own interests ahead of everyone
else's. So, being selfish is what life is all about; it is in our DNA.
Why should I want to go against nature and seek to 'be good' (whatever
that means), if by doing this, it harms my self-interests?
Of course, the majority of people do believe that they should be good, not
just because of how society might punish them, should they fail to do this,
but because being a good person, or acting in a good way, is the right thing
to be, or the right thing to do. But why is this the right thing? If I were
to justify my own selfish behaviour on the basis of the sentiments expressed
in the paragraph above, how would you convince me that I was wrong?
You might choose to be good and care about others, follow the rules
and do the right thing (whatever you decide that means). And if you do, then
well done to you! But why should *I*do all of that? Why should
*I*act as you or others believe I should act, or be the person that
you or others want me to be? On what basis would you argue that
*I*should be good, whatever you consider "good" to mean?
The aim of the Members' Weekend will be to present a range of responses to
Why Should I Be Good?, in the hope of casting light on this
most challenging of questions. So, if you think you have the answer, or
would like to present your own perspective on the question, then please
consider giving a talk. You will, of course, need to explain what you
consider "being good" to mean, before clearly presenting your argument for
why any given member of the audience should be good, according to your
definition. Alternatively, you might want to tell us why you personally
choose to be good, what being good means to you, and why, in your opinion,
members of the audience should (as individuals) follow your example.
Ideally, we will have a range of perspectives presented by our speakers,
along with a number of distinct answers to the question. For example, you
may believe that:
there are certain rules that I simply should follow – rules that may
be discovered through reason, observation or perhaps revelation. (If you
can, tell us what those rules are, how you come to know them and why it is
that one should follow them)
the rules of behaviour are not fixed; what matters is that I act according
to rules by which I would wish everyone to live. (Perhaps you can remind us
why this most categorical of imperatives is the key principle one should
follow. Also, who do you include within 'everyone'?)
happiness, freedom, pleasure, and the absence of suffering have value in of
themselves, whether they apply to me or to others. I should therefore act
with kindness and compassion, and in ways that maximise such value, wherever
it exists. (Does this require that one cares about all people equally? And
what about animals? Should we care about them too? If so, which ones?)
I have a duty or obligation to be good. Being kind and respectful to others,
following the rules, paying taxes, etc. are the debt I owe to society in
return for the many benefits that society has given me. (But why should a
person adhere to a social contract they had no part in drawing up?)
what matters is fairness, equality and justice for all. I should act in ways
that oppose this unfair and unjust society we live in, promoting the
equality of all people. (Tell us why one should care about fairness,
equality, or justice. Why should one consider these things to be good or
desirable?)
being good is not easy; it is a skill (or virtue), which I may
develop throughout my life by acting in ways I consider to be good.
(Tell us why you think this striving to be virtuous is the right
thing to do and what virtues you think one should be developing)
being good is about accepting the authority of God (or other supreme
being), who wishes me to act in certain ways or according to their
will. (Tell us why one should believe this, how one might come to
know the will of God, and why accepting this authority is the right
thing to do)
there are good people and there are bad people, according to how
they act, the things they say or what they believe in. Ultimately,
good people will be rewarded, and bad people punished, whether in
this life or the next. (Is this fair? Is it kind? Do 'bad people'
really deserve to be punished?).
Or you may have a quite different response to the question Why
Should I Be Good? and would like to share it with the
society. Please don't feel limited to the examples above. And do use
the vast resources of Wikipedia, the Stanford Encyclopedia of
Philosophy and the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy when
researching and writing your talk, as well as the writings of
philosophers and others who have advocated for, or argued against,
your chosen position.
If you are interested in speaking at our Members' Day, please contact me
via email to indicate your interest by the 31st of
March, including a working title and brief outline of your talk in one or
two sentences. If selected, your talk will last for around 25-30 minutes
(approx. 3000 – 3500 words), to be followed by 15 minutes of
questions. Don't worry if you have not spoken at such an event before. We
are not looking for experts, just good communicators who are prepared to do
a little research and present a cogent and passionate argument, which is
philosophical in character.
