Henry Sidgwick
Published: 2018-02-04
Total Pages: 198
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Excerpt from A Supplement to the Second Edition of the Methods of Ethics 1 (p. 1, l. An Objection is sometimes taken to the application of the term 'science' to such studies as these. It is said that a Science must necessarily have some department of actual existence for its subject-matter: and. There is no doubt that the term Ethical Science might, according to usage, denote studies that deal with the actually existent: viz. Either the department of Psychology that deals with pleasures and pains, desires and volitions, moral sentiments and judgments, as actual phenomena of individual human minds; or the department of Sociology dealing with similar phenomena, as exhibited by the larger organizations of which individual human beings are ele ments. We Observe, however, that comparatively few persons pursue these studies from pure curiosity, in order merely to ascertain what actually exists, has existed, or will exist in time. Most men wish not only to understand human action, but also to regulate it; they apply the ideas 'good' and 'bad, ' 'right' and 'wrong, ' to the conduct or institutions which they describe; and thus pass, as I should say, from the point of View. Of Psychology or Sociology to the point of View of Ethics or Politics. It is true that the mutual implication Of the two kinds of study is, on any theory, very close and complete, though the precise nature and extent of their connexion is. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.