Thursday, January 06, 2011

Josiah Royce on having a larger purpose

From Josiah Royce, The Philosophy of Loyalty (1908), the book to which Jerry Brown referred in his inaugural address on Monday on being sworn in as California's Governor. Loyalty, in the sense Royce used it, meant "solidarity", but not just narrow-group solidarity; he meant commitment to something that would fulfill the individual by contributing to something of benefit to humanity:

Only a cause, then an absorbing and fascinating social cause, which by his own will and consent comes to take possession of his life, as the spirits that a magician summons might by the magician's own will and consent take control of the fortunes of the one who has called for their aid, - only a cause, dignified by the social unity that it gives to many human lives, but rendered also vital for the loyal man by the personal affection which it awakens in his heart, only such a cause can unify his outer and inner world. When such unity comes, it takes in him the form of an active loyalty. Whatever cause thus appeals to a man meets therefore one of his deepest personal needs, and in fact the very deepest of his moral needs; namely, the need of a life task that is at once voluntary and to his mind worthy.
Tags: ,

| +Save/Share | |




FEATURED QUOTE

"It is the logic of our times
No subject for immortal verse
That we who lived by honest dreams
Defend the bad against the worse."


-- Cecil Day-Lewis from Where Are The War Poets?


ABOUT US

  • What is the Blue Voice?
  • Bruce Miller
  • Fdtate
  • Marcia Ellen (on hiatus)
  • Marigolds2
  • Neil
  • Tankwoman
  • Wonky Muse

  • RECENT POSTS

  • Jerry Brown and the press
  • Obama, the Radical Republicans and the new investi...
  • Hans Küng (and others) on religion and world peace
  • Jerry Brown and Josiah Royce
  • Jerry Brown's inauguration address 01/03/2011
  • Jerry Brown's inauguration
  • Egyptian officialdom and Coptic Christians: a mixe...
  • George Packer speech from May 2010 on Obama and th...
  • Jerry Brown's initial approach to the California b...
  • Robert Reich talking about his book "Aftershock"

  • ARCHIVES




    RECENT COMMENTS

    [Tip: Point cursor to any comment to see title of post being discussed.]
    SEARCH THIS SITE
    Google
    www TBV

    BLUE'S NEWS





    ACT BLUE











    BLUE LINKS

    Environmental Links
    Gay/Lesbian Links
    News & Media Links
    Organization Links
    Political Links
    Religious Links
    Watchdog Links

    BLUE ROLL


    MISCELLANEOUS

    Atom/XML Feed
    Blogarama - Blog Directory
    Blogwise - blog directory

    Blogstreet
    Haloscan


    Blogger

    hits since 06-13-2005

    site design: wonky muse
    image: fpsoftlab.com