Moral Philosophy: Or, The Science of Obligation by James Fairchild published by Sheldon & Co., New York, 1884. Hardcover.
James Harris Fairchild wrote this textbook of philosophical instruction for his lectures on moral philosophy.
James Harris Fairchild (1817 - 1902) was a Biblical scholar, teacher, anti-slavery advocate and the third president of Oberlin College. He was also a staunch abolitionist known for his participation in the Underground Railroad and for his role in the famous Oberlin-Wellington slave Rescue in 1858, a defining act of civil disobedience in which a group of about 600 people gathered together in the small town of Oberlin, Ohio, to save John Price, a 17-year old fugitive slave from Kentucky who had been arrested by two slave catchers and two federal marshals under the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. After a standoff of several hours, Price was rescued from his captors taken back to the Oberlin home of James Harris Fairchild before he could be taken to Canada and escorted to freedom.
The Oberlin–Wellington Rescue was influential in raising opposition to the Fugitive Slave Act, was also a key event in the history of abolitionism that contributed to the coming of the Civil War, and affected issues of race in ways that continue to impact American society today.
Oberlin College is a private liberal arts college and conservatory of music that has always been a pioneer in higher learning, social justice & artistic expression. Oberlin was one of the first few US colleges to admit African Americans and the first US college to award bachelor’s degrees to women.
CONDITION: This book is in good condition. Tight binding, clean text. Book shows normal fairly minor signs of storage & age. The cover is worn, soiled, stained, scuffed, has some discoloration and has edge wear. Pages have turned yellow from age. Foxing to paper commensurate with age. The name of the original owner is written on the title page. There is some writing on the endpaper at the front of the book and on page 85. Please see pictures. THE PICTURES ARE TO BE CONSIDERED AS PART OF THE DESCRIPTION. PLEASE REVIEW THEM FOR A BETTER IDEA OF CONDITION.
CONTENTS:
THEORETICAL
INTRODUCTORY DEFINITIONS
Divisions of the science
Topics treated of
Obligation a simple idea
Undefinable
Attempted definitions
A moral being or person
Essential attributes
Intellect
Sensibility
Freewill
A moral act
The moral element, where found
Different forms of voluntary action
More exact location of the moral element
Character and intention
Two kinds of moral action
RIGHT OR VIRTUOUS ACTION
The true good
Absolute and relative good
Illustrations of the two
Mere animal life valuable
The Summum Bonum
No comparison of the two forms of good
Happiness
Obligation, how perceived
Regard to our own good
Of virtue as good
Of benevolence as virtue
Benevolence in consciousness
WRONG OR SINFUL ACTION
Its nature
Its motive
Its form, how determined
Gratification of desire not sin
Sin subordinates reason
No rational end in sin
Sin not a choice of evil
Sin not selfishness
Impossibility of making one's own good the supreme end
Sin in consciousness
Self-gratification not the intelligent end
Sin subjection to impulse, or carnal-mindedness
Desires and passions not sinful
Their uses
OF THE PARTICULAR VIRTUES
Benevolence the root
Constitutes right character
Its relation to the particular virtues, and to right acts
Love
Gratitude
Justice not an independent virtue
Mercy not opposed to justice
Self-denial
Veracity
Humility
Faith
Obedience
The teaching of Scripture
Misapprehensions of benevolence
Interdependence of the virtues
OF PARTICULAR VICES
Their common element
Their relation to sinful character
Their origin
Sensuality
Ambition
Avarice
Pride and vanity
Selfishness
The desire not sinful
Malevolent impulses
Natural or impulsive goodness
Two characters possible
Apparent goodness
Right moral judgments
Kindly affections
Devotional feelings
Impulsive virtues, their relation to true virtue
Imitative goodness
Deficiency exhibited
Are the impulsive virtues sinful?
Their utility
ADDITIONAL REMARKS AND INFERENCES
Universality of the law of benevolence
Works of supererogation impossible
Morality personal, not transferable
Ambiguity of the term character
The seat of moral depravity
Total moral depravity
The moral change required
Relation of emotion to the moral state
Moral character in consciousness
Moral consistency
RIGHT & WRONG - DUTY, KNOWN AND UNKNOWN - NEED OF A REVELATION
Ambiguity of the terms right & wrong
Absolute right and wrong
Relative right and wrong
Objective and subjective right and wrong
Right and wrong per se
The expedient and the right
Our knowledge of the right
End and means
Doing evil that good may come
Least of two evils
Known and unknown duty
Need of revelation to furnish motive and to indicate objective duty
CONSCIENCE IS IT A GUIDE?
Definition and office
Impulse of Conscience
Approval and condemnation
Aesthetic conscience
Conscience as a guide
Intervention of judgment
Different views
Whately and Alexander
Sins of ignorance
Rational conscience the guide, not the emotional, nor the aesthetic
Conscientiousness
Paul
Honesty
Sincerity
Conscience educated, enlightened, perverted
UNITY OR SIMPLICITY OF MORAL ACTION
Virtue and sin contradictory
Their coexistence impossible
Different hypotheses to explain their coexistence
Imperfect powers
From the fall
From past sin
Right intention with wrong thoughts and feelings
Mixed motives
Partial regard for good
Lack of intensity
Right ultimate choice and wrong acts
The teaching of the Scriptures
Practical teaching
Taylor & Metcalf
Objections and answers
Prevailing consciousness
Negative testimony
No room for improvement
Degrees of goodness
Degrees of sinfulness
Temptation and guilt
Knowledge of past sinfulness
General bearing of the doctrine
THEORIES OF OBLIGATION
The question
Different answers
Reason for the difference
Socrates and Plato
Aristotle
Doctrine of the Stoics
Of the Epicureans
Modern views
Paley
New Haven Theory
Difficulties
Psychological error
No freedom
Misrepresents benevolence
Mistakes the motive
Makes no difference between the good and the bad
Does not accord with Scripture
Utilitarianism
Misapplication of the term
Needed discrimination
"Holy Happiness"
THEORIES OF OBLIGATION
Of right as ultimate
Of obligation as originating in the will of God
Difficulties
Reason not ultimate
Obligation known intuitively
No character in God
Relativity of morality
Unscriptural
Founded in the reason or nature of God
Of spiritual worthiness as ultimate
Difficulties
Hickok's view
Not an ultimate good
Still less one’s own worthiness
Inverts the order of Thought
If virtue as ultimate
View of Edward’s
Andover Theory
Difficulties
Complacency not virtue
Not a Higher Virtue
Confusion in the use of the term Good
Virtue a quality of choice, not its object
Of abstract right as ultimate
Axiom of the theory
Does not explain the virtues
Gives no unity to virtue
Rightness not the final motive
Maxim of the theory
Acting from principle
Rightness not ultimate
Incidental advantages of the theory of benevolence.
PRACTICAL ETHICS
GOVERNMENT - ITS NATURE AND F0UNDATI0N
Definitions
Relation of sanctions to government
Object of government
Its right to exist
The right to govern
Duty to govern
Designation of the ruler
Form of government
Extent of authority
Not dependent on desire of the governed
THE DIVINE GOVERNMENT
Its constitution
Why God assumes the government
The divine law
How known to men
Revealed law
Authority of examples
The Saviour's example
Genuine virtue required
Personality of the law
Application to communities
Dealing with nations
National sins
PENALTIES UNDER THE DIVINE GOVERNMENT
Nature of penalty
Effects of penalty
Relation of penalty to desert
True reason of penalty
Its extent
Discipline and penalty
Necessity of penalty in the divine government
Degree and duration
Guilt everlasting
Natural consequences not penalty
Physical law and penalty
Remorse and penalty
Providential consequences
CIVIL GOVERNMENT
Its foundation
Right to govern
The form of government
A legitimate government
A tyranny
Constitutions
Not a social compact
Right and duty of voting
The ruler a servant
Doctrine of instruction
Right of the majority
Principle of representation
The will of the governed a controlling element
General tendency to democracy
Relation of law to righteousness
Mistakes
PENALTIES IN CIVIL GOVERNMENT
Uses of penalties
Dangerous tendency
Capital punishment
Reasons for it
Objections
LIMITS OF OBEDIENCE TO CIVIL GOVERNMENT
Government subordinate
The higher law applied to a democratic state
No general formula
Laws, just, indifferent, unjust
Two possible courses
Duty of a subordinate magistrate
Right of revolution
Apprehended tendency
Errors in two directions
THE RELATIONS OF NATIONS TO EACH OTHER
Obligation of nations limited
Laws of nations
Duty to respect each other's sovereignty
Duty in case of rebellion
In treaties
In commercial intercourse
Duty of self-preservation
The rightfulness of war
In case of resistance at home
In case of aggression from without
In defense of the weak
In suppression of outrage
In justifiable revolution
Objections
The true aim in war
Duties in war
FAMILY GOVERNMENT
Has a natural foundation
Limited in its subjects
Wide in its application to interests
Mode of constitution
Question of headship
A relation of confidence tobe entered upon with deliberation
Maintained with care
A natural sphere for each
Relations of the family to the state and to society
DUTIES OF PARENT AND CHILD, OF TEACHER AND PUPIL
Chief work of the family
Place of parental affection
Leading duty of the parent
Duty of obedience and its natural termination
Claim of the child
Limit of obedience
Duty in maturity toward dependent parents
The teacher's authority
Its extent
Need of closer definition
The pupil's duty
Unnatural antagonism
Mutual regard
Unfavorable tendencies
Extreme individualism
Independence of opinion
PERSONAL RIGHTS AND DUTIES - GENERAL PRINCIPLES
Basis of rights
The comprehensive right
Inalienable rights
Basis of duties
Correlation of rights and duties
Positive and negative precepts
Subjects of rights and duties
The rights of brutes
Superior right of rational beings
RIGHTS - LIFE
Basis of the right
Guilt of murder
Malice and hatred
Manslaughter
Related crimes
Right of self-preservation limited
Self-defense
Protection of property
Carrying weapons
Dueling
Objections to self-defense
RIGHTS - LIBERTY
Definition and extent
Basis of the right
Misapprehension of its origin
Application to different powers
Principle of toleration
Freedom of the press
Free discussions
Intervention of government in worship & education
Subjective limitations
Respect to the consciences of others
Use of definite rules
Violations of liberty
Its defense
RIGHTS - REPUTATION
The interest involved
How a good
The precept
Temptations to its violation
Duty of exposing wrong
Slander in truth-telling
RIGHTS - PROPERTY
Origin of the right
The precqpt
Property, how acquired
Transferable
Right of discovery
Effect of long possession
Things not to be appropriated
Animals made property, human beings not
Limitations of the right
Law of exchange
Duty of the vender
Standard of value
PERSONAL RIGHTS AND DUTIES
Managing the market
Cicero's example
Law of wages
Woman's wages
Work that is above wages
Violations of the right of property
Bankrupt laws
Prevalence of fraud upon the government
Mischief of repudiation
Immorality of gambling
DUTIES - PIETY
Origin of duties
Nature of piety
Its relation to religion
Morality and religion
Morality attained by religion
Opposite of piety
Duty of worship
Possibility of prayer
Speculative objections
Social and public prayer
The Sabbath
Change of day
Obligation permanent
Proper observance
Duty of promoting religion
DUTIES - PHILANTHROPY - PATRIOTISM
Nature of philanthropy
Its relation to religion
Its scope
Proper test
Misanthropy
Patriotism as a virtue
Required by benevolence
Things opposed to patriotism
DUTIES - SELF-CULTURE
Its nature and reasons
Extends to all the faculties
Spiritual culture
Its relation to virtuous character
Intellectual culture
Things to be held subordinate
Kind of knowledge to be sought
Culture of the sensibility
Gives power
Relation to moral character
Control indirect
Associations
Books
Perfection of character
DUTIES - SELF-CULTURE
Aesthetic
Its expensiveness
Elevating tendency
Increases power
False refinement
Fastidiousness
The cultivated lady
Culture, how attained
Degree of attention proper
Other demands to be cousidered
Physical culture a duty
Health
Manual skill
Manners and habits
Predominance of the soul
DUTIES - USEFULNESS
The true aim
The natural impulse
Proper occupation
Notoriety not usefulness
Wealth and its uses
Special obligation of the rich
Social influence
Difficulties and duties
Special duties of the young
The great want
DUTIES - FIDELITY
Faithfulness in contracts
Binding force
Threats and promises
In what sense binding
When null
Conditions
Express and implied contracts
Effect of the oath
Marriage engagements
DUTIES - VERACITY
Its nature and obligation
Significance of the oath
Its rightfulness
Profanity
Violations of veracity
Limits of the obligation
Words and gestures
Legal practice
Instinct of veracity
DUTIES - CHASTITY
Nature of the duty
Effect and criminality of unchastity
Injustice of society
Marriage provided for
Its nature and conditions
Moral law of divorce
Civil law
Incest
Concluding remarks