V. 

 TYPES OF ETHICAL THEORY. 1 



A GROWING interest in moral philosophy is one of 

 the signs of the times, and those who are content 

 with a superficial explanation of new phenomena 

 might plausibly argue that it is due to the fact 

 that the age of supernaturalism has passed away. 

 A people, it may be said, which has outgrown 

 metaphysics and theology is driven to seek aid 

 from the natural and the human. And this is a 

 thoroughly satisfactory explanation, so long as we 

 shut our eyes to the facts of the case. But the 

 moment we fairly face them we find that those 

 who try to write on ethics, as a science inde- 

 pendent of metaphysics and theology, invariably 

 fail to stir up anything but a languid enthusiasm ; 

 while those who really are influencing thought and 

 life are more and more fearlessly connecting their 

 ethics with the belief in God. We refrain from 

 mentioning representatives of the former class, but 



1 Types of Ethical Theory, by James Martineau, D.D., LL.D. 

 Oxford : Clarendon Press. 



