Page 73 - CONSCIENCISM By Kwame Nkrumah_Neat

66 CONSCIENCISM SOCIETY AND IDEOLOGY 67
In the Soviet Union, too, open and systematic ridicule was law can be explained to him. Ifhe is not satisfied, it can be pointed
resorted to, and when this did not work well enough, teddy boys out to him that he supported a certain constitution, or at least that a
were moved from one area of the country to another. Through certain constitution is binding upon him, and under that con­
inconveniencing them, Soviet authorities sought by a non­ stitution Parliament is empowered to enact laws. If this does not
statutory instrument to influence, and so 'coerce', teddy boys in satisfy him, then it can be pointed out to him that the laws ofthe
order to bring their activities within the range of passable be­ land are to be tak;n note of, on pain of unpleasant consequences.
haviour. But ifsomeone should ask why he has to be moral, a similar kind of
These instruments all relate to some conception of'the desirable answer cannot be made to him. Indeed, tIus fact led David Hume
society'. This is a conception which is nurtured by ideology. As the to say that reason could not tell him why he should not prefer the
conception of 'the desirable society' changes, some of its instru­ safety ofhis little fmger to the survival ofmankind.
ments too change, the subtle ones changing in a quiet and discreet Philosophers, grappling with the question ofthe source ofmoral
way. When this happens, it is said that new ground is broken. obligation, have attempted different sorts of answer. Many have
Philosophy, too, is one ofthe subtle instruments ofideology and given their answer in terms ofthe individual psychology, in terms
social cohesion. Indeed, it affords a theoretical basis for the cohesion. ofthe pleasure or the pain which certain courses ofaction entail for
In The Republic of Plato, we are confronted with an example their perpetrators. Here, these philosophers have tried to anchor
which philosophy is made the theoretical basis of a proposed moral obligation in something, in regard to which the question
social order. In that proposal, philosophy would be an instrument 'why?' would, they hoped, be impossible. They accordingly
of the ideology belonging to the social order proposed by Plato. expected that the question why one likes pleasant things and dis­
Philosophy performs this function in two ways. It performs it likes painful ones could not be sensibly asked. If, therefore, moral
as a general theoretical statement to which a specific social-political obligation could be founded on pleasure and pain in such a way
theory is parallel. I have illustrated this in the discussion of some that morality raised expectations ofpleasure and immorality raised
early Greek philosophers in the second chapter. Philosophy also expectations of pain, a final answer would be procured to the
performs this ideological function when it takes shape as political question why one should be moral. But this account relates to the
philosophy or as ethics. Through political philosophy, it lays down individual welfare and not the social.
certain ideals for our pursuit and fortification, and it becomes an A few have tried to base moral laws on the nature ofthe human
instrument of unity by laying down the same ideals for all the reason itsel£ In this way they hoped to give a final answer to the
members ofa given society. question why one should be moral. If moral laws were purely
As ethics, philosophy proposes to throw light upon the nature commands ofthe reason, to ask why one should be moral would be
ofmoral principles and moral judgements; it also seeks to expose like asking why one should be consistent. Just as consistency is a
the source of the validity of ethical principles, and so of moral requirement ofhuman discourse, so morality would be a require­
obligation. In ethics, we have an instrument ofgreat fascination men t of human action.
which runs parallel to statutory instruments without itself being Yet others, eschewing a psychological or a rationalist answer,
statutory. Moral laws were never passed; there are no policemen explore a sociological one, giving their account in terms of the
or courts to ensure adherence to them. general welfare or the general consensus. According to the
There is a certain fascination about morality. When someone utilitarians, for example, an action is right to the extent that it tends
asks why he has to take notice ofany state law, the intention ofthe to promote the general welfare, and wrong to the extent that it