A Study of Ethical Principles

CONTENTS.

4. Business of ethics to define the good or the moral ideal, by

scrutiny of the various interpretations of it

5. Ancient and modern conceptions of the moral ideal compared.

(a) Duty and the chief good; their logical connection.

sonality as moral ideal

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6. (b) Ancient ideal political, modern individualistic; the inade-

quacy of each, and their reconciliation in personality

7. Various aspects of the ethical problem: (a) the good; (b) the

right; (c) moral law; (d) conscience; (e) virtue; (ƒ) duty;

(g) pleasure; (h) altruism; (i) self-sacrifice

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CHAPTER II.

THE METHOD OF ETHICS.

1. Natural and normative sciences. Ethics a science of the latter

type

2. Its method scientific, not metaphysical

3. Two misunderstandings of the term 'normative science'

THE PSYCHOLOGICAL BASIS.

1. Necessity of psychological basis; an inadequate view of human

life rests upon an inadequate view of human nature

2. Voluntary activity presupposes involuntary; various forms of

the latter

3. Voluntary activity, how distinguished from involuntary; volition

as control of impulsive and instinctive tendencies; contrast of

animal and human life

4. The process of volition: its various elements, (a) pause; (b)

deliberation; (c) choice.

5. Nature and character. Effort. Second nature

6. Limitations of volition: (a) economy; (b) continuity; (c) fixity

of character

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7. Intellectual elements in volition: (a) conception; (b) memory

8. Will and feeling. Is pleasure the object of choice?

PART I.

THE MORAL IDEAL.

TYPES OF ETHICAL THEORY: HEDONISM, RATIONALISM, EUDÆMONISM

CHAPTER I.

HEDONISM, OR THE ETHICS OF SENSIBILITY.

I.—Development of the Theory.

1. (4) Pure Hedonism, or Cyrenaicism

2. (B) Modified Hedonism: (a) Ancient, or Epicureanism

3. (b) Modern Hedonism, or Utilitarianism. Its chief variations

from Ancient: (1) optimistic v. pessimistic; (2) altruistic v.

egoistic; (3) qualitative v. quantitative

4. (c) Evolutional Utilitarianism

5. (d) Rational Utilitarianism

II. Critical Estimate of Hedonism.

6. (a) Its psychological inadequacy

7. (b) Failure of sensibility to provide the principle of its own dis-
tribution. (1) Within the individual life. (2) Between the
individual and society

10. (e) Its inadequate interpretation of character
11. (f) The final metaphysical alternative
12. The merit and demerit of Hedonism

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CHAPTER II.

RATIONALISM, OR THE ETHICS OF REASON.

1. The rationalistic point of view. The two forms of ethical

Rationalism-extreme and moderate. Its sources

2. (4) Extreme Rationalism. (a) Ancient: (a) Cynicism.

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(B)

Stoicism. How it differs from Cynicism: (1) idealistic v.
naturalistic; (2) cosmopolitan v. individualistic; (3) the Stoic
melancholy

3. (b) Modern: (a) Christian asceticism

4. (8) Kantian transcendentalism

5. Criticism of extreme Rationalism. (1) Dualism of reason and

sensibility; (2) formalism; (3) egoism; (4) self-sacrifice; (5)

source in metaphysical dualism. Transition to moderate
Rationalism

6. (B) Moderate Rationalism. (a) Its beginnings in Greek ethics.

7. (b) Its modern expressions. (a) Butler's theory of conscience

8. Criticism of Butler's theory. (1) Its hedonistic tendency; (2)
its psychological character; (3) its dualism (i) of virtue and
prudence, (ii) of benevolence and self-love

9. (8) Intuitionism. Its divergences from Butler. Its defects:

(1) its abstractness; (2) what is intuitive to the individual

may be the result of the race's experience; (3) its formal

defects: it is (i) a mere psychology of the moral conscious-

ness, (ii) a mere re-statement in scientific terms of the or-

dinary moral consciousness; (4) its ethical insight

10. The service of Rationalism to ethical theory

11. Transition to Eudæmonism

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