It
is clear at a glance that the positive good attained is not worth the
lingering and widespread evils; and the act of drinking the polluted
water, though to a very thirsty man a keen temptation, is immoral.
Morality is thus an acting upon a right perspective of life. Personal
morality considers the goods and evils in the one stream of
consciousness, social morality the goods and evils in other conscious
lives concerned. Between them they sum up the law and the prophets.
The best life for humanity is that which is, on the whole, felt best;
not necessarily that which is judged best by this man or that, for
our judgments are narrow and misrepresent actual values,-but that which
has had from beginning to end the greatest total of happiness. No other
ultimate criterion for conduct can ever justify itself, and most
theoretical statements reduce to this. To be virtuous is to be a
virtuoso in life. All sorts of objections have been raised to this
simple, and apparently pagan, way of stating the case; they will be
considered in due time. The reader is asked to refrain from parting
company with the writer, if his prejudices are aroused, until the
consonance of this sketchy account of the basis of morality with
Christianity and all idealism can be demonstrated.
H. Spencer, Data of Ethics, chap. III. S. E. Mezes, Ethics, chap IX.
Leslie Stephen, Science of Ethics, chaps. II, IX. F. Thilly,
Introduction to Ethics, chaps.
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