The Data of ethics.

Abstract

An unusual amount of ill-health experienced during the winter months of 1877-78, had, even before the illness described in the last chapter, led to serious thoughts respecting my future; and these had prompted a precautionary step. On the 9th January, while lying in bed with a bad cold, I sent for my secretary, and, after disposing of a small matter, began dictating memoranda for the Data of Ethics. My reasons for doing this are given in a letter dated Feb. 16, 1878, as follows:-" When I have got through the chapters on Ceremonial Government, and have also got through those on Ecclesiastical Government, which I propose to deal with next (not, however, publishing them in the same way), I have some idea of writing, and publishing as I am now doing in the Fortnightly, the first division of the Principles of Morality: showing how morality is to be dealt with from the Evolution point of view, as the outcome of all preceding investigations. I begin to feel that it is quite a possible thing that I may never get through both the other volumes of the Principles of Sociology, and that, if I go on writing them, and not doing anything towards the Principles of Morality till they are done, it may result in this last subject remaining untreated altogether; and since the whole system was at the outset, and has ever continued to be, a basis for a right rule 67 369

The tradition of post-tradition

“…But in the conscientious man, there is an adequate restraining motive, still more re-representative in its nature, including not only ideas of punishment, and not only ideas of lost reputation and ruin, but including ideas of the claims of the person owning the property, and of the pains which loss of it will entail on him: all joined with a general aversion to acts injurious to others, which arises from the inherited effects of experience. 36 This seems to accommodate Bellah's vision, and even imply its soldaristic elements, which would follow from the aversion to harming others. But at the same time this is a picture of tradition: that is what Spencer means by 'the inherited effects of experience', which he took to be the product of 'mass of individual inductions [which becomes transformed] into a public and traditional induction impressed on each generation as it grows up'.…”

Altruisme, égoïsme et individualisme dans l’École durkheimienne

“…Comme on peut s'y attendre, il inscrit le thème dans sa philosophie marquée par l’évolutionnisme et l'utilitarisme. L’égoïsme devient la base de l'altruisme au sens où le second ne peut s'exercer sans puiser dans les ressources offertes par le premier (Spencer [1879] 1900, § 73), même si un égoïste rationnel ne néglige pas de s'occuper du collectif et donc d'autrui ( ibid ., § 75). Puis Spencer met l'accent sur ce qu'il appelle l'altruisme inconscient des parents au profit de leur progéniture et, plus généralement, des membres d'une génération à ceux de la suivante.…”

The interference of will-impulses: With applications to pedagogy, ethics and practical efficiency.

“…The movements, however, with which Camerer was concerned were in the horizontal plane, as is plain from his description in his article. 79 In view of this, the characteristic feature of the opposition is not that between flexion and extension, but rather between centripetality and centrifugality; and even the latter distinction would have to be further qualified, as ordinarily the centripetal movement is affirmed to be easier than that away from the body (centrifugal).…”