Ethics vs. Politics
The question being explored in Sidgwick’s work is: what is the relationship between ethics and politics. My answer is that they are close but not identical. One is the guiding power behind politics, and the other is the application of those ethics. This thesis presupposes that the driving power behind politics is to uphold morality. It is not, however, to enforce morality. Enforcing morality is to desire to make each person moral. The former is to ensure that extreme immoral things do not happen. So what is Sidgewick’s take on the matter? He writes,
At first sight, it may seem that Politics, so conceived, must be a branch of Ethics. For all the actions of government are actions of individuals, alone or in combination, and so are all the actions of those who, obeying, influencing, or perhaps occasionally resisting the government, maintain and from time to time modify the constitution of their state: and it would seem that if properly performed such actions must be determined on ethical principles or be capable of justification by such principles. But this argument is not decisive; for by similar reasoning Ethics would have to comprehend all arts, liberal and industrial. (Sidgwick The methods of ethics)
The conclusion is that politics is not a branch of Ethics because politics factors in more than just Ethics. He gives the following example,
it is the main part of the moral duty of a sea-captain and his subordinates to navigate their ship properly; but we do not take Ethics to include a study of the rules of navigation. It may be replied that every man is not a sailor, but — -at least in a country under popular government — -every citizen has important political duties, which he ought to perform according to knowledge, so far as possible; but, similarly, it is an important part of every adult’s moral duty to take care of his health, and it is proverbial that ``every man at forty is a fool or his own physician’’; yet we do not consider Ethics to include the art of medicine. (Sidgwick The methods of ethics)
A ship captain factors in more than his moral obligation. He factors in the everyday operations of being a captain. Similarly, political factors in more than just what is morally good. I think this is far too simple. Ethics does also factor in non-moral issues. Morality is a rational enterprise. Understanding what is best for someone is important to do what is best for someone. For example: if a doctor wants to perform his moral duty and help a patient, it is best that he know what is best for them to give them proper medical care. In fact, being confident even in not knowing it would be, on a certain scale, immoral.
Sidgwick, Henry. The Methods of Ethics. Macmillan and Co., 1922.
