E-text prepared by Al Haines
Transcriber's note:
Page numbers in this book are indicated by numbers enclosed in curly braces, e.g. {99}. They have been located where page breaks occurred in the original book. For its Index, a page number has been placed only at the start of that section.
by
Assistant Professor of Philosophy in Harvard University
Author of
The Free Man and the Soldier
The Moral Economy
The Approach to Philosophy
Charles Scribner's Sons
New York — Chicago — Boston — Atlanta
San Francisco — Dallas
Copyright, 1909, byCharles Scribner's SonsAll rights reserved. No part of this bookmay be reproduced in any form withoutthe permission of Charles Scribner's Sons
"Things and actions are what they are, and the consequences of them will be what they will be; why then should we desire to be deceived?"
{vii}
This little book is the preliminary sketch of a system of ethics. Itsform differs from that of most contemporary books on the subjectbecause of the omission of the traditional controversies. I haveattempted to study morality directly, to derive its conceptions andlaws from an analysis of life. I have made this attempt because, inthe first place, I believe that theoretical ethics is seriouslyembarrassed by its present emphasis on the history and criticism ofdoctrines; by its failure to resort to experience, where without moreado it may solve its problems on their merits. But, in the secondplace, I hope that by appealing to experience and neglecting scholastictechnicalities, I may connect ethical theory with every-day reflectionon practical matters. Morality is, without doubt, the most human andurgent of all topics of study; and I should like, if possible, to makeit appear so.
The references which I have embodied in the notes are intended to servethe English reader as an introduction to accessible and untechnicalliterature on the subjects treated in the several chapters. Thesechapters coincide with the main divisions of ethical inquiry: Goodness,Duty, Virtue, Progress, Culture, and Religion. And although so brief atreatment of so large a programme is impossible without sacrifice ofthoroughness, it does provide both a general survey of the field, and avaried application of certain fundamental ideas.
{ix}
The practical necessity of morality, 1. The interplay of dogmatism and scepticism, 4. The fundamental character of morality, 7.
The dependence of value on life, 9. Definition of the simpler term