Excerpt from The Moral Law: Or the Theory and Practice of Duty; An Ethical Text-Book
During the past twenty-five years the theory of morals has been discussed by many writers, each of whom, doubtless, has entertained the hope that his views might prove acceptable to the majority of scholars. The outcome has been discouraging. The teachings of text-books to-day are as divergent as at any previous time. Under these circumstances another attempt to grapple with " the ethical problem " should be accompanied with justifying reasons. The mere fact that no solution hitherto offered has won general approval does not warrant new philosophizing. One must have some ground of confidence that his efforts have, at the least, been rightly directed.
The chief recommendation of the doctrines now presented is, that they have been very carefully formed according to the rules of inductive logic. Not a single abstract principle has been asserted, except so far as it follows fairly from an analysis of the moral thought of men. No attempt has been made to found theory on the untested assertions of reason, or on the unexplained dictates of common sense; much less to deduce it from the arguments of great authorities. In every case the actual thought of men has been made the subject of analytic scrutiny. The aim has been to employ fact-fact only-as the basis of theory.
At the same time, the tenets of every school and the reasons alleged in their behalf have been compared and in vestigated. The aid of every earnest inquirer has been sought that the truth as seen from his point of view might be fully apprehended. To this end more books have been consulted than have been quoted.
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