New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-11-04
PRINCIPLES OF CONDUCT.
AN HISTORICAL STUDY OF MORAL PHI
LOSOPHY.
A STUDY OF ETHICAL PRINCIPLES. ny James
seth NJ Professor in Brown University.
Pp XVI $50 Imported by Charles ScribneTs

A STUDY OF ETHICAL PRINCIPLES. BY James
9 po WI A. 80 Imperfed by Charles Scrbner's
Sons
This book illustrates anew the tendency
among philosophers Of the present day to APP
proach their theme by historical methods: fro+
fessor Seth may almost be said TO nave written
a history Of ethical theories. particularly OF those
prevalent among the Greeks In order 10 ARRIVE
at his own conclusions This preference for re-
view of the past as against original speculation
has been mentioned by Erdmann one Of the
most significant facts in contemporary thought
lie associated 1t with another fact. stated not
without a dash OF cynicism. that literary MIS-
torisns have taken the place of poets and biog-
ranhies the place o. great men" In taking this
course philosophers consciously or uncon-
sciously have followed the wishes Of their read
ers II is Erdmann again who observes that
historical introductions and critical reviews are
well thumbed, while frequently the original
theories Of an author. even In the same volume
with these favored essays. sleep undisturoed be-
tween leaves that have not been separated since
they left the hands of the bookbinder Inc
reason for this change in taste since those times
no; so long ago. when philosophical systems mad
70 be new in order to obtain any credit Is pos
s!bly the interest taken in the doctrine or evou-
ton IN its various forms. II ell later opinions
terminated in those that were earlier. from the
very beginnings Of human life. then there should
be in the history Of philosophy as whole
better scheme Of thought than in the most COM
plete system devised by single thinker me De-
lief In evolution as scientifically stated has be-
come so fixed in many minds that they accept
it as the key 10 the whole mystery of the uni
verse 1t embodes philosophy in itself The
convenience Of word in which all the move
ments Of the world past. present and future are
iuniod Is too obvious for comment Even Pro-
lessor Seth who Is far from being an adherent
Of the sect in science that has taken this as
its watchword nevertheless lays out his system
approximately on the lines that are customary
now His historical study reveals what may
fairly be called ethical evolution. The germs or
modern thought seen in the views held by the
ancients and he looks upon the ancient state
ment Of ethical questions as more instructive
than the modern. This follows. naturally from
the fact that life was far less complicated mat
Ter I'm the tiny States Of Greece than in great
empires Of modern times. which count their
population by millions. where Athens could
hardly reckon hundreds. The study Of morals
was. Of course. simpler under such conditions
than under those which beset modern l'fe YET
the ancients anticipated all the modern theories.
and set them forth with distinctness which is
no longer possible.
Ethically. mankind may be divided into two
classes-people in whom reason is predominant
and people swayed by their sensbilites OF
course the division is in a measure artificial
No man is so International as to be utterly de-
void of feeling and no mar is so emOtiOnal-not
even Mackenze's fearful hero-as to be without
4 glimpse Of reason. Now. at the outset. the
Greeks took up this classification and exempli-
fed ii in the sharpest and most uncompro-
missing way. There certain disciple of
Socrates. named Aristippus. who had learned
from his master that true wisdom counselled the
study of consequences. and that actions were TO
be judged by their results whether peasurabe
or painful Socrates. though critical, was not
a sceptic; he believed in immortality. But there
were those among his contemporaries who
doubted. and from one OF these Arstippus caught
the idea that nothing was certain in life but the
present moment. Socrates. a man Of reason, pre-
ferred the pleasures Of the mind to those OF the
body. But his sceptical disciple found material
and physical pleasures lve,ier and intense.
and so he fixed II the true rule of life to make
every moment yield all the qualification that
could be got out Of it. This is really phlos-
ophy Of despair Youth maturity. old age, fol-
low each other in quick succession The days
come all too soon when says he has no
pleasure In tn I'm, and death is the way. not to
q new life, but to nothingness There is left
only the satisfaction Of laughing with the un-
known power which has pcrpetrated a grim.
practical joke on humanity Perhaps no modern
man holds this view of life in so extreme a
form, but Professor Setn names Byron and
Heine as having exempifed it in their lives and
In their poetry. 1t took only one generation to
prove by experiment that Arstippus had been
rash in his theory. His disciples modified mis-
rule by adding that a man must be the master
Of his pleasures and not their servant. lie
should enjoy the feetng moments and not be-
come their plaything Thus the Socratic pru-
dence was found 20 be worth something after all.
Then Epicurus suggested that. life was more
or less prolonged. II would be convenient 10 take
ones pleasures calmly Thus the socratc
nationality was rehabtated, but only
sistant to feeling. Reflection and perhaps the
experience OF old age. taught the Epicureans
that man ought TO congratulate himself if he
could get release from pain without striving
after pleasure Considering that the modern
thinkers who revived this doctrine OF pleasure
the true aim Of life were well up IN Greek
literature and history. 1t is remarkable that
they began not where the Greeks left OF. but at
the point from which the ancents set out. Pro-
fessor Seth maintains that the difference be-
tween the antique Hedonists and those Of the
present century is that the former were pessi-
mists and the latter optimists. Possibly ne makes
a mistake here There is an optimism Of despair
which says to itself, This life Is good enough
for me-" From this point Of view Aristippus
was as much OF optimst as John Stuart
Mill The fact is that good many things had
happened since Aristippus advanced his juve-
nile notions about having fun with the universe
as the moments rolled by The S,oics had come
and gone. taking things quite seriously; there
had been a long procession OF Neop.atOnists who
did for the waking life al all. but wished
to dream themselves into divinity; and, be-
sides there were mystics who refused all philoso-
phies and theoogies into one-Plutarch IS a speci-