Internal Sanctions in Mill's Moral Psychology

E-ISSN： 1741-6183|10|1|68-82

ISSN： 0953-8208

Source： Utilitas, Vol.10, Iss.1, 1998-03, pp. : 68-82

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Abstract

Mill's discussion of ‘the internal sanction’ in chapter III of Utilitarianism does not do justice to his understanding of internal sanctions; it omits some important points and obscures others. I offer an account of this portion of his moral psychology of motivation which brings out its subtleties and complexities. I show that he recognizes the importance of internal sanctions as sources of motives to develop and perfect our characters, as well as of motives to do our duty, and I examine in some detail the various ways in which these sanctions give rise to motivating desires and aversions.