Chapter X 



ZOOLOGY AND HUMAN WELFARE 

 by Howard M. Parshley 



WHAT is human welfare? 

 Deep thinkers have answered this question in a great 

 variety of ways, each trying to catch the elusive essence of 

 the Good, and few succeeding in such wise as others can 

 understand and agree with. In recent years, however, a 

 tendency is observable among philosophers to accept 

 what Bertrand Russell calls the Good Life as the practical 

 expression of human welfare and as the essential element 

 in any valid definition of the phrase. From concern with 

 abstractions, such as other-worldly ideals, the summum 

 bonum, and the greatest good of the greatest number, we 

 are thus brought to a primary regard for individual happi- 

 ness, for the successful life of the individual. This point of 

 view, once agreed upon, helps us to define human welfare 

 in simple, honest, and scientific fashion and, in conse- 

 quence, to detect and modify the factors which affect it. 

 Let us agree that welfare requires conditions of life 

 that are reasonably favorable with regard to health, wealth, 

 social relations, and intellectual outlook. Exceptional 

 individuals, to be sure, may fare best under certain handi- 

 caps or may require some peculiar favor from fate; but cer- 

 tainly the conditions we have mentioned are, in general, 

 the requisites for living the good life. 

 What is zoology? 



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