Jim Farmelant <farmelantj at juno.com> wrote:Jim F: Wasn't that really Kant's argument in *Critique of Practical Reason*. After having disposed of the traditional arguments for God, immortality, and free will in *Critique of Pure Reason*, Kant in his second Critique attempted to show how these beliefs could be justified on the grounds that they are necessary postulates of the moral life.
* * * As I understand Mill, he is arguing that, first, we cannot equate the origins of a feeling such as our desire to punish those who hurt us or other members of our social group, with a morally compelling rationale for that desire. For Mill, our desire to punish malefactors can only be defended to the extent that it can be shown to enhance social utility,
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