New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-07-18
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
urppppT sprNCER,s DATA OF ETHICS.


from the order of the programme of the System OF
Synthetic Philosophy" for reasons stated by
the author in the preface. According TO the orig
inal plan the System was to end with the "Prin-
cipes of Morality of which the chapters now ls-
sued form the first division. As the second and
third volumes of the principles of Sociology
remain as vet unpublished, this nstalment OF the
succeeding work appears out of its regular place.
Mr. Spencer was induced to take thiscourse through
fear that adherence to the programme might result
in the failure TO complete the work. The precarl-
business of his health and the uncertainty OF life
admonished him of the wisdom of bringing TINS
portion of the "System" TO speedy close. This
was the more important IL forms the GROWING
point the marrow and essence, so 10 speak, OF tue
preceding portion. Mr.. Spencer offers some eXpiana-
tons on this subject. which possess exceeo'nP ln-
terest, as giving the scope aud purpose of all his
writings The ultimate object of his studies has
been to discover scientific basis for the principles
of right and wrong in conduct at large. ms ne
afirms. is an urgent need in the present state OF
human inquiry and speculation. As moral
injunctions are losing their authority with
a large class of thinkers, given by their
supposed sacred origin. the secu arizatlon OF
morals is becoming imperative. Nothing can De
more disastrous than the decay of regulatlve sys-
ten. before it can be replaced by another reguatve
system better adapted to human wants. 1t is
thought by most of those who reject the current
creed that IT'S controlling agency may safely be set
aside. and the vacancy left untitled by any other
controlling agency. At the same time, the de-
Tenders of the current creed aege that In the aD-
sence of it's guidance, no other guidance can exist
The divine commandments they deem the only
possible guides The two currents OF thought thus
meet at a common point. The one class holds that
the vacancy left by the disappearance of the code Of
supernatural ethics need not be filed by code OF
natural ethics The other class holds that 1t cannot
be so filled In the view of both vacuum Is contem-
plated which the one wishes and the other fears.
But as the change which threatens or promises 10
bring about this state is making rapid progress
those who believe that the vacuum can be filed,
and that it must be filled, are called upon to do
something In pursuance of their belief.
In presenting a scientific theory of right, the au-
thor refers to the difficulties which must be eneoun-
tered from certain class of critics. so far from
rejoicing that ethical PRINCIPLES otherwise de-
rived by them. coincide with ethical principles
scientifically derived they offended by the coin
cidence. Instead of recognizing essential likeness
tLey dwell on superficial difference. The thinker
VINO does not profess the ordinary belief is made to
appear AS much opposed to that belief as possible.
Ii he DIVORCES from established theological dogma,
he is represented as an atheist, however lnadms-
sbe he considers the term II he calls III question
the spirtualistc explanation of phenomena, he is
held up as q materiallst, though he Indignantly
rcpudIates the name. In like manner, the differ
ences which exist between natural morality and
supernatural morality Systematically exagger-
ated. In pursuance Of this policy, Mr. Spencer re-
marks that many doctrines in this volume, winch
taken by themselves may be made to appear erro-
neous. will probably be singled out Tor adverse
T-... 3, ,lay hab ast rapt tod
separately some correlaJive aspects Of conduct
drawing conclusions either of which becomes untrue
if divorced from the other, and has thus laid him
seIt open to miscOuceptIOn and misrepresentation.
I'm 0pening the main discussion of the work. the
author considers the method of treating cOTrelaive
terms as implying one another. A father cannot be
thought Of without thinking of child. There can
be no CONSCIOUSNESS of superior without conscious
ness of inferior. No idea can be formed of whole
without more or less distinct idea of its parts /;
nor can there be a correct idea of part without
correct idea of the cOrTelative whole. A savage
who has never seen vehicle can form no concep-
ton OF the and action of wheel. No theory OF
tic structure Of the arm can be given without
theory of the structure of the body at large. The
movements of the Moon cannot be fully interpreted
without taking into account the movements of the
Solar System.
organic whole that is 10 say, an aggregate of mu-
tually dependent actions performed by an organism.
The behavior we call good and the behavior we call
bal along with the behavior call indifferent,
are included under the conception of behavior In
general Tho theory of conduct at large is the whole
OF which either forms part, and we cannot under
stand the part without understanding the whole
Conduct. then. may be defined the adjustment of
acts to ends from the most simple to the most COM
plex The conduct on which ethical judgments are
pronounced passes from that with which morality
has no concern to that which is moral or immoral,
by small degrees and in countless ways. But the
conduct which has to be conceived scientifically,
before we can scientifically conceive the modes
of conduct which are the object of ETH
cal judgments is of an immensely wide range,
including not only the conduct of human beings,
but conduct as exhibited by all living creatures.
The conduct of the higher ANIMALS as compared
with that Of man. and the conduct of the lower ami
mails as compared with that Of the higher. differ
mainly in the fact that the adjustments of acts 10
ends are relatively simple and relatively incomplete
The more developed must be interpreted by the less
developed Just as we must study human conduct
as whole in order TO understand the part OF con-
duct with which ethics is connected in order to
understand human conduct as a whole, we must
study il as part of the larger whole constituted by
the conduct of animate beings in general. Nor is
this all We must think not only of the conduct at
present displayed around us but the less developed
conduct out of which this has arisen in the course
of time. We must regard the conduct now shown
us by creatures of all orders, outcome of the
conduct which has brought life of every kind to its
present height, or in other words. preparatory
step must be to study the evolution Of conduct.
The progress in the evolution of conduct is traced
from the lowest type of living creatures TO the
highest in a singularly interesting and suggestive
chapter. Most of the movements made by the low
est order of animals have no perceptible aim. Tue
infusorla swim about at random They live but a