The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1898-05-12


of people refrain from violating sod
commandments because they thin
eternal torment will be the sure resu
Of such disobedience consequently
their basis Of morality is fear Of punisl
ment They dare not usk questions ri
| Igarding those commandments and fe,
/ bound to accept them because they So
no other alternative. They often, how
ever. bury certain reservations an
| doubts in their bosolns being too timi
to express them in public
There are Others, again who try
interpret the moral law, not throug
scriptural superstitions but throug
reason Such persons are known a
western philosophers" and grea
thinkers The oldest of these were tn
Greek philosophers that fourished be
fore the Christian era. in the tiftl
century before Christ arose Socrates
who tried to establish virtue and mora
conduct on a firm intellectual founda
tion. Thenceforward the basis Of NOR
ality became the principal theme Of the
Greek philosophers Socrates taught
that all virtue is knowledge. justice
being the surest guide for every mora.
action. "a virtuous or a moral act i.
one that proceeds from a clearly con
scious perception Of those things tl
which it relates; that is, Of the end.
means, and limitations by which it is
conditioned Good and evil are deter.
mined by the presence or absence of
insight Men act wrongly only be-
cause they form erroneous judg
ments
A similar explanation Of the basis Of
morality was given by Plato, who
based the whole Of the moral fabric
upon justice but by justice he meant
the state-the moral life in its com
plete totality Plato believed that so.
cial ethics can alone govern the sensu
Gus principle, which is so mighty in
man Social institutions, according to
this prince of philosophers, can sup.
press the lower" nature and make
man moral Virtue must begin in the
state and then manifest itself in the
Hence come the severity
and rigor Of the Platonic teachings re
garding the state
The ethics Of Aristotle differs in many
respects from those Of his predecessors.
Aristotle did not view the moral ele
ment as purely intellectual he said it
was the outcome Of the phydcalnature.
Socrates regarded the moral and the
natural as opposites and moral conduct
rs the result Of rational enlightenment,
while Aristotle held that one proceeds
rom the other He said the chief
Of human nature is rational
lctiyity Man being naturally intel |
igent is bound toact rationallyi hence,
arises from innate virtue. (
The AristoteIian basis Of ethics, there.
ore upset the Socratic basis of moral /
ty. According to Aristotle, ethical |
.ulture and moral activity are condi-
Toned upon a properly regulated social
ife. Man is a political animal; a truly
Iunan life is possible only in a society
the state is superior TO the
Individual, and even to the family
Individuals are only accidental parts
f the political whole
Then came the Stoica. Their ethics
vas closely connected with their
hysics The moral code Of the Stoics
vas about as follows Follow nature, /
r live in harmony with nature Live
q natural simplicity, and do not be
by art BE conscious and
what thou art by nature
'leasure has no moral worth, and is
OF the end Of nature it comes acci-
entally. Consequently whatever ac
on ends in pleasure cannot be moral /
b this consists the whole severity Of
le Stole morals Everything personal
lust be cast aside According to the
toics, a perfect moral act is possible
My when the actor has a thorough
nowledge Of the good and the power
to realize it.
Then the reaction came, and the re- /
lit was epicurianism and skepHcism t
he moral nature was denied Seek {
easure and avoid pain as long as you h
We became the highest ideal Thus
lded the speculatious Of the Greek a
Of the pre-Chnshan era If
Soon afterward the Christian idea Of
orality entered Europe Starting 4
ON belief in the sayings Of Jesus and f
e revelations Of scripture, the moral s.
ecepts Of Christianity slowly grew 4
to the scholasticism, theology, and
iestcraft Of the Middle Ages which +.
minated the minds Of western people II
r centuries Yarious objections 10 II
at belief were raised from time to q.
ne, but they were promptly sap. Ii
assed by dogmatic assertions, threats 81
d prosecutions on the part Of the Il
slesiastical authoritieE "
rhen came the reformation. Phil Ia
Ypher5 arose in different parts Of
rope to discuss various questions P5
iring upon the nature Of the soul sit
d, and the moral law But all q
Sc ended ia the skepdcal and nihil. tb
& doctrines Of Hume And ethical ne
snce gradually became identified ",
.h social "a political laws al ihe ia