This key text in the American philosophical tradition, long out of print and never before available in paperback, will be welcomed by a broad audience. This new edition of The Philosophy of Loyalty , with the addition of John McDermott's excellent introduction, should stimulate a lively debate among moral theorists. As one of the first volumes in the Vanderbilt Library of American Philosophy, it foretokens an outstanding series of publications. A transitional book in the development of Royce's thought, originally published in 1908, The Philosophy of Loyalty is a key to understanding his influence on the development of pragmatism. Royce's basic argument is clear.
Individual wills are a given, and social training is a natural aspect of community.
But the two are not fully compatible, and conflicts naturally emerge. Loyalty to a cause unites many individuals into a community, but fanatical loyalty to causes often has inimical results. Royce notes that many loyalties are used to suppress others and that such loyalties themselves become predatory causes. Only a loyalty to causes that support loyalty itself, that perpetuate and nourish the community, can be the highest moral principle. Apart from the historical importance of this work, The Philosophy of Loyalty has many beneficial implications for understanding contemporary social passions and outlooks, especially for our own fragmented American culture.