The universal duty to alleviate inflicted suffering: An ethical grounding for Siu's new discipline of Panetics Item Type Thesis Authors Amerson, Russell Doyle Download date 02/10/2021 04:44:20 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/11122/9463 INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter face, while others may be from any type of computer printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleedthrough, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send UMI a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. 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THE UNIVERSAL DUTY TO ALLEVIATE INFLICTED SUFFERING: AN ETHICAL GROUNDING FOR SETS NEW DISCIPLINE OF PANETICS A THESIS Presented to the Faculty of the University of Alaska Fairbanks in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY By Russell Doyle Amerson, B.A. Fairbanks, Alaska August 1997 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number: 9804763 Copyright 1998 by Amerson, Russell Doyle All rights reserved. UMI Microform 9804763 Copyright 1997, by UMI Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. UMI 300 North Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, MI 48103 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. THE UNIVERSAL DUTY TO ALLEVIATE INFLICTED SUFFERING: AN ETHICAL GROUNDING FOR SIU'S NEW DISCIPLINE OF PANETICS by Russell D. Amerson RECOMMENDED: / i .v i v Dr. Rudy W. Krejci, Prof Advisory Committee Chair Dr. Barbara F. Alexander Chair & Associate Professor Department of Philosophy & Humanities APPROVED: A-/0. llM/ Gorden O. Hedahl, Dean College of Liberal Arts r Joseph R. Kan, Dean University of Alaska Graduate School 6~-t -97 Date Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ABSTRACT THE UNIVERSAL DUTY TO ALLEVIATE INFLICTED SUFFERING: AN ETHICAL GROUNDING FOR SIUS NEW DISCIPLINE OF PANETICS Dr. Ralph G. H. Shi has challenged the intellectual community with a call for a new academic discipline that he calls Panetics (from the Pali word paneti meaning 'to inflict'). Panetics is the study of humanly engendered suffering, its causes and methods of alleviation. Suffering is measured in units called dukkhas (from the Pah word duidkha meaning suffering), which are the product of the intensity of pain and the amount of time the pain is endured. The result will be in terms of units of suffering, the dukkha. Dr. Shi has argued that this new academic discipline is not a forum for the discussion of theoretical ethics nor is there any implied moral precept which prescribes moral action. It will be shown that not only are there prescriptions for moral action embedded in panetic talk but that the entire discipline rests on moral presuppositions. In addition, a normative ethic is implied in the purpose of the Panetic Calculus, and this will be clarified. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 4 It will be shown that Dr. Shi's approach to the "New Utilitarianism" constitutes a form of negative utilitarianism, which may provide an 'ethical ground1 upon which to rest what will be called the Principle of Least hrflicted Suffering. It will be argued that this Principle can be universalized because the 'ethical ground' upon which h rests is composed of ahuman universal (viz, human suffering), a component of all human 'forms oflife.' Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 5 TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract 3 Acknowledgments 6 Outline of Thesis 9 Chapter One: Introduction 11 Chapter Two: The New Utilitarianism 18 Chapter Three: Consequence Driven Ethics Systems 34 Chapter Four: The Panetic Calculus 43 Chapter Five: A Panetic Dialogue 59 Chapter Six: Theoretical Aspects 84 Chapter Seven: Panetics and The Open Society 98 Chapter Eight: Epilogue 109 Appendix A: 119 Appendix B: 125 Literature Cited: 142 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 6 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS First, I am most deeply grateful to my Professor and Thesis Advisor, Dr. Rudy W. Krejci, who brought certain problems on these pages to my attention and suggested that a serious need existed for research in these areas. Dr. Krejci's assistance and encouragement have been invaluable to this project. His personal interest in and concern for my academic career has been very special to me, and I wish to thank him for the many years of education and assistance, which he always offered without hesitation and with the greatest sincerity. One could not ask for a better mentor. In addition, I would like to acknowledge the tremendous help and encouragement given to me over a span of some 24 years by the other members of the Department of Philosophy and Humanities Dr. Walter J. Benesch has patiently helped me through many of his courses over the years and provided much of the personal inspiration for my academic pursuits. Also, I would like to acknowledge all of the administrative and intellectual assistance provided by Dr. Barbara Alexander, Chair, who was a tremendous help especially with the paperwork details. A special acknowledgment must be given here to Prof Jack Distad who passed away recently on February 2, 1997, and who did not live to see this project reach completion. Prof Distad was extremely helpful in the early stages of research and writing. His exacting approach and knowledge of the thesis process prevented many mistakes and wasted effort. He was a concerned educator and researcher in the field of mathematics, who was deeply committed to the future of higher education; and it is with Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 7 deep regret that I must acknowledge his help and concern posthumously. He will be remembered fondly. Dr. Syun-Ichi Akasofu and Dr. Nagabhushana M. S. Rao have also been very helpful, especially with the "sharpening" of the research project. Dr. Akasofu's personal knowledge of Panetics, and his personal acquaintance with Dr. Ralph Siu, has been an additional help. Dr. John Lehman's knowledge of Eastern philosophy and his advice about the thesis process were very helpful and useful I must also acknowledge the help that a former advisory committee member gave me in the early stages of writing this thesis. Dr. Mark A. Box made very valuable suggestions to me in the early research phase, which proved vitally important later on. Several long meetings with him enabled me to see the general outline of the thesis early on. I am also indebted to Dr. Ralph G. H. Siu who has never wavered in his willingness to help in any way that he could. He has extended the wannest hospitality to me in his home and during the two annual conferences for the International Society for Panetics (ISP), which I attended. He provided me with copies of all his works so that I might have the complete oeuvre and spent in the neighborhood of 70 hours over two years in discussions and interviews about Panetics. I owe both Dr. Siu and his gracious wife, Dr. Irene Siu, a great deal of thanks. I would also like to acknowledge the help of the ISP who provided a travel scholarship so that I might attend the 1995 conference and also for some additional monetary assistance so that I might attend the 1996 conference. Mr. Carl Stover, then president of the ISP and former president of the National Institute of Public Affairs, extended every courtesy and personally attended to all the details to make sure I could participate. He deserves many thanks. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 8 This research project would not have been possible without the monetary assistance that I have received in the form of scholarship sand fellowship s. The Eagle Insurance - Thesis Completion Fellowship was the main source of funds which allowed me to concentrate on the thesis and finish it. The idea of this fellowship is commendable and deserves more notice. I wish to thank Dr. Joseph R. Kan, Dean of the Graduate School, who also made scholarship and travel funds available, especially during the first year of work. Travel funds, made available by Dr. Kan's office, enabled me to meet with Dr. Joseph Rotblat, Nobel Prize winner and keynote speaker at the ISP conference in 1996. The help that has been provided by Dr.