204 History in Ethics. 



beyond the scope of our present inquiry, while it 

 is, besides, of such transcendent significance for 

 the future of ethics that I could not in any case 

 decide to omit it altogether. I allude to the bear 

 ing of the history of morality among civilized and 

 uncivilized races upon current systems of moral 

 philosophy. What light does our present knowl 

 edge of the development of moral conceptions, 

 ideals, and institutions among mankind throw 

 upon that fundamental problem of ethical specu 

 lation, the nature of the moral law ? 



This question, unfortunately, has not hitherto 

 been considered in exclusive relation to the his 

 torical facts. As was inevitable from the lack of 

 a positive science of ethics, founded upon the act 

 ualities of history and of life, it was prejudged 

 by theoretical moralists according to the specula 

 tive standpoints which they happened to occupy. 

 Now, as all the diversities of ethical thought may 

 be reduced to two main types, represented respec 

 tively by the hedonistic and the intuitive schools, 

 the facts of historic morality were forced into 

 the service of these opposing systems. Accord 

 ing to the one party, they showed that morality, 

 in itself eternal arid immutable, was universally 

 recognized and practised among men ; according 

 to the other party, they confirmed the theory 





