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History as past ethics; an introduction to the history of moralsMyers, P. V. N. (Philip Van Ness)

Philosophy

History as past ethics; an introduction to the history of morals

Name: History as past ethics; an introduction to the history of morals
Author: Myers, P. V. N. (Philip Van Ness)

Myers, P. V. N. (Philip Van Ness)

Ethics -- History

Transcriber’s Note: Italics are enclosed in _underscores_. Superscripts
are indicated by carets and braces: 5^{me}. Additional notes will be
found near the end of this ebook.




                         HISTORY AS PAST ETHICS

                         AN INTRODUCTION TO THE
                           HISTORY OF MORALS

                                   BY

                         PHILIP VAN NESS MYERS

       FORMERLY PROFESSOR OF HISTORY AND POLITICAL ECONOMY IN THE
         UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI. AUTHOR OF “ANCIENT HISTORY,”
                   “MEDIÆVAL AND MODERN HISTORY,” AND
                          “A GENERAL HISTORY”

                            GINN AND COMPANY

                  BOSTON · NEW YORK · CHICAGO · LONDON
              ATLANTA · DALLAS · COLUMBUS · SAN FRANCISCO




                          COPYRIGHT, 1913, BY
                         PHILIP VAN NESS MYERS

                          ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

                PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

                                 526.2

                           The Athenæum Press

                     GINN AND COMPANY · PROPRIETORS
                           · BOSTON · U.S.A.




                                   TO
                                I. C. M.

                     My conviction gains infinitely
                      the moment another soul will
                        believe in it.--NOVALIS




PREFACE


This work completes the series of historical textbooks which I
began more than thirty years ago. It is an expansion of a course of
lectures given for several years to my advanced classes in history,
and is designed as a brief introduction to the history of morals. In
treating the science of morals as a branch of history my thought is,
without trenching in the least upon the domain of the philosophy of
morals, to make the work of the department of history more helpfully
introductory than it has hitherto been to that of the department of
moral philosophy. The book is the outgrowth of a conviction that the
philosophy of ethics, if it shall become a stimulus and guide to
social service and humanitarian effort,--especially if it shall bring
reënforcement to that ethical idealism which so largely motives the
present-day movement for world peace,--must be based on a knowledge of
the facts of the moral life of the race in all the various stages of
the historic evolution, and that to gather and systematize these facts
is a part of the task of the historian, indeed the most important part
of his task. It is my hope that teachers of both history and ethics may
find the book helpful, whether made the basis of classroom discussion
or of lecture comment.

                                                         P. V. N. M.

    COLLEGE HILL
  CINCINNATI, OHIO

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History as past ethics; an introduction to the history of morals

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