The Science of Ethics

Leslie Stephen · 1882

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Description

Leslie Stephen wrote The Science of Ethics in 1882, bringing Darwin's theory to bear on moral life. Stephen was a leading man of letters and a frank agnostic. He asked whether ethics could rest on science rather than on church command. The book was his most sustained work of philosophy.

Stephen traces moral rules to the health and survival of the social group. Feelings of right and wrong, he argues, grow as societies grow. He tests his view against rival schools, including the utilitarians he partly followed. The result is a calm, tough piece of Victorian thought. It helped set terms for later ethics.

Catalog record

CREATORLeslie Stephen
YEAR1882
COLLECTIONBOOKS
FORMATTXT
FILE SIZE1.1 MB
VERSION1.0
LICENSEPublic Domain
RIGHTSPUBLIC DOMAIN
SOURCEInternet Archive

Source: https://archive.org/details/scienceofethics00step

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