XXVIII. Goodness and UtilityThe first mistake of the English psychologists was to misunderstand the origin of the concept of “good” in utility. Their second mistake as internal to their theory: that goodness was taken to be an intrinsic value because the usefulness of “good” actions was forgotten. Surely, if the actions were so useful, their utility should never be forgotten a more plausible view was taken by Herbert Spencer. He also equates goodness with utility but he claims in addition that this association is never forgotten. It is because the association is made universally that goodness is thought to be an intrinsic value. Although Spencer’s view is wrong, it is at least in itself ‘self-consistent and psychologically tenable” as an explanation.
