162 ETHICAL ASPECTS OF EVOLUTION 



no duties, and when the moral motive is not opposed by 

 another moral motive it is coincident with duty. The most 

 far-reaching change that can come over the spirit of a religion 

 is the conversion of its motives from those of fear to those 

 of affection. Motives of fear are prudential, and actions 

 are then enjoined or forbidden, not on their own account, 

 but as means to rewards and punishments. They furnish 

 no moral ground for coercion, though that may seem to 

 be justified by considerations of utility. When obedience 

 is based on affection, no ulterior ends are present, but, if 

 the religion explicitly commanded its own violent imposition 

 on others, persecution would no doubt become a moral 

 duty. This, however, is impossible, as it would involve 

 a logical contradiction. A religion would cease to be a reli 

 gion of affection if it were adopted on compulsion. 



There are thus many occasions when religious precepts 

 will dispute the primacy with the dictates of the conscience. 

 The solution has already been indicated. When the pre 

 cepts of a religion have been adopted by affection and 

 respect into the circle of a man s moral notions, the supremacy 

 of the conscience is not challenged ; the conflict, if there is 

 one, is between two ethical motives, such as is of common 

 occurrence when other motives, besides those peculiar to 

 religion, are concerned. When the authority of religion 

 appeals to hope or fear, the conflict is between morality 

 and prudence. Whether the motive be religious or social 

 the same conclusion holds good. If the principle of decision 

 is to be the superior goodness of the action, the strongest 

 ethical motive must always prevail. The individual conscience 

 is always paramount in all cases where a man desires to 

 act virtuously. In other words, duty and the sense of 

 obligation arise from the dictates of man s conscience, 

 and from no other source ; and when two conflicting motives, 

 either of which by itself would create a duty, coexist, the 

 obligation is created by the stronger of the two. 



As the individual conscience is paramount for the in 

 dividual, so is the collective conscience paramount for the 

 community or the state. In its ordinary dealings with 



