Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1911-10-12
FUNCTIONAL
ETHICS
By Rev. Clarence Greeley
TExT-By their fruits We shall kno"
them.-Matt. 7:20.

NACAA
them.-Matt. 7:20.
AS Schopenhauer thought, the soiu-
ton of life is not for us in far OH
isles Of the blessed; we are born 1or
the world of manly business, task. vo-
cation, function-ethically known by
our fruits.
Right function is progressive &C
ton. True moral life is like the heart
p~ulsation; it ends one beat only to pc
gin another. The twentieth century
philosopher or preacher of ethics must
be something of a naturalist to realize
that the functions of the yearnlng'
struggling will are describable only IN
terms of experiences; and the human
mind, with it's moral truth or aver
ments, have grown through countless
ages.
The eighteenth century rationalism,
like the melieval ~dogmatism, and the
Greek idealism, looked upon the moral
world, not as dynamic or functional,
but static. The nineteenth century
thinkers since Darwin agreed on the
transformation of species-which had
been regarded since Aristotle, as fixed
and final in form once for all. Men OF
the railroads.&c. eighteenth century
had much to say of the dignity OF
c~hangeless essential man from the
savage up to Shakespeare.
But the nineteenth century proved
that human nature is more like an
organism, not permanent in its struc-
%,ro hut ooroh1o of rr0orocc ar rotrO-
gression, as the outcome of physical,
mental and moral growth Of the race
for more than 10000 years; and it's
moral dignity is that of untold ages OF
suffering, survival, failure, victory,
progress.
Hence the twentieth century preach
er or teacher of ethics should know
our new physiology-the science OF
functions.
Our new psychology is called func-
tional; our new logic is called func-
tional; our new philosophy is really
functional; there is even a functional
theology; their truth not sicklied DER
with the pale cast of thought, but
vital with the pulse beat of life. There
fore, I venture, somewhat timidly, on
June 6, before the Fellowship club
in this city, to speak on Functional
Ethics" a term l had not seen in
print, and Professor Tufts of the Uni
versity of Chicago gives assurance
that no work has ever appeared, to
his knowledge, under that title.
I do not seek, however, to corner
functional ethics-quite the reverse
but would define the subject in part,
as we follow the rough Bahnpfahl
(new track) I am trying to blaze in
the woods, as follows: The ethics
that associates itself with the func-
tons of the body-growing out OF
those and of society-and the concep.
tons underlying.
The Importance of this method (not
system) is felt not only by %conserva-
tive Christians who, as Over against
mere rationalistic creeds, have a pre-
sentiment that Christ's ethical way
was functional instead of credal OF
metaphysical; but as a mode oil
thinking, functionalism was also the
only ultimate defence Of Protestant
ism against the papacy. Not only
conservative Christians, as contraSted
!, with railroads.&c., feel this influence
) of the zeitgeist, but Professor FostOr.
e. g., a somewhat different type-fa
miliar with up-to-date life sciences
[ afirms that one corner stone of TWEEN
) tieth century morality is in our hui
nan struggle for self-preservation, q
t principle inexplicable in all activity
/ which we call life. The point we are
making is this: The ethics of the
twentieth century will not be rational
istic but functional; and this fact is
, largely the fruit of our new or modern
biology.
The Importance of this fact is oh
Renaissance largely ignored common
life (Which Henry Drummond defines
as functions); and the so-called "cul
3 ture" of that period denied to ordin
airy human nature the capacity to de
velop organs and functions, not onl.
for it's own preservation but develop
0 ment.
Under the gradual influence of gu
+ new biology there is more and more
q tendency to look for true goods in thu
normal development Of the vital func
n lions which constitute mans nature
mental, moral and spiritual, as wei
+ as physical and economic.
A basis of functional ethics in GU
). new biology may be THUS set forth
v When the organism modiies it's actiy
e ity or it's structure in response t
changed conditions, those modiics
y lions are called functional adapats
. lions. We would not press the ana
q ogy of colonies of apts and bees t
. human society too far. But we ma
= learn from biology of lower Individual
- that each should attempt to preserv
!, itself, promote progress, and, if
= be a member of a higher community
! it should act in the interests of other
: and the whole group. that it its ful
;, damental task, vocation, function.
a+;oo1 onn1ioofi0r of hioloS