2023, Vol., No.43

PHILOSOPHY·THOUGHT·CULTURE 2023 KCI Impact Factor : 0.5

pISSN : 1975-1621 / eISSN : 2092-0873
https://journal.kci.go.kr/insewtdgu

By rejecting the Benthamite overly simple representation of universal/immutable human nature and arguing for the complexity and diversity of what constitutes human happiness, J. S. Mill was able to render a form of utilitarian theory that extended the concept of happiness or utility to encompass the values that are commonly considered non-utilitarian. This form of theory at least has the strategic advantage of offering a more flexible foundation for responding to the major criticisms of utilitarianism than Bentham’s theory. However, it is certainly needed to clarify the grounds on which this extended theory can still be regarded as a utilitarian theory, and its strategic disadvantages should also be considered as much as its strategic advantages which might perhaps loosen it from the essence of utilitarianism and lose some of its original strengths. In this paper, I will look into the main features of Mill’s extended utilitarianism through the points at which his theory deviates from Bentham’s. Centering on his concept of ‘character’, I will examine the interconnections between his developmental or growthal understanding of human nature, extended notion of happiness or utility, and qualitative distinction of pleasures. Upon these considerations, I will briefly make some remarks on the extent to which Mill’s proposed form of utilitarianism can secure the characteristic features of classical utilitarianism, such as consequentialism and hedonism, the extent to which it can approach to the classical utilitarians’ common objective of the scientification of morality, and the extent to which its strategic advantages outweigh its disadvantages.

Today, humanity is living in the era of the climate crisis. Since its initial proposal by biologist Eugene Stoermer and atmospheric chemist Paul Crutzen in 2000, the concept of the ‘Anthropocene’ has been widely used to encapsulate the crises facing humanity today. However, the ‘Anthropocene’ is not merely a descriptive concept. It signifies the disappearance of the customary distinction between human history and natural history and goes further to suggest that humans should be recognized as a ‘species’ included within geological time. This new reality of the breakdown of traditional boundaries or modern divisions demands a new mode of thinking, affecting the entire field of humanities, including literature. In this essay, we explore the aspects of this new mode of thinking centered around ‘Planetary Thinking’. Specifically, we delve into the distinctions between ‘world’ and ‘planet’, and ‘nature’ or ‘environment’ and ‘ecology’. If the former represents a mode of thought centered around ‘humans’, the latter can be described as a mode of thought that recognizes all existence on a metaphysical equality within the backdrop of the ‘planet’. This essay examines the transformation of such modes of thought and the challenges it has posed within the realms of literature, philosophy, and other fields within the humanities.

This paper aims to investigate whether the sermon of ChatGPT, a form of artificial intelligence(AI) that has emerged with the accelerated development of the Fourth Industrial Revolution in the post-COVID era, aligns with the coherence of Buddhist doctrines. Previous papers have primarily addressed the potential for AI to attain enlightenment. However, this paper intends to assess the coherence of ChatGPT by evaluating its intellectual capabilities. Similar to Buddha’s first sermon after attaining enlightenment, it hold significant importance in Buddhism. To determine whether ChatGPT possesses the ability to match these crucial Buddhist Sermons and the sermon of ChatGPT, sermon answer are derived by asking questions regarding Buddhist doctrines. The answers will be compared with text and academic papers to evaluate their coherence with Buddhist teachings. Considering that significant doctrinal differences exist across different eras of Buddhism, inquiries about doctrines will be categorized into Early Buddhism, Sectarian Buddhism, and Mahāyāna Buddhism. After evaluating the coherence of ChatGPT’s response, the paper intends to explore the potential of ChatGPT as an alternative in the role of Buddhist Sermons. The result indicates that while ChatGPT may exhibit linguistic and Buddhist scholarly errors, it can be viewed positively in its ability to convey the fundamental doctrines. Therefore, this study emphasizes the need for Buddhism to reconsider its perception in oder to recognize and resolve this crisis.