

Empirical method of Morality. 



acting upon the evidence, is the final arbiter in any 

 doubtful or disputed case. The truth of moral ques- 

 tions must be examined and tested by precisely the 

 same mental faculties and processes as those em- 

 ployed in physical science, viz : by the faculties of 

 perception, observation, comparison, and inference, 

 acting upon the whole of the evidence ; and by the 

 processes of observing facts, comparing them, inferring 

 conclusions ; by analysing and cross-examining the 

 evidence in every possible way, and extracting from 

 it the largest amount of consistent knowledge. 



Although we cannot detect moral truth by any 

 other than intellectual processes, we may however 

 arrive at correct moral conduct in two ways, viz : 

 either blindly or intelligently. We arrive at it blindly 

 or automatically by the process of trusting to our 

 inherited and acquire tendencies and dogmatic 

 beliefs ; and intelligently by the conscious use of our 

 knowledge and intellectual powers ; and each of these 

 methods has its advantages. The former process* 

 being an empirical one, is very uncertain and cannot 

 be employed for the judical detection of truth, or the 

 certain discrimination of it from error, it has however 

 to be trusted to in all cases where we are deficient in 

 knowledge, or have not time for investigation. 

 Truthful ideas and correct conduct also, which at first 

 require the exercise of considerable intellect and 

 much self-discipline, in order to arrive at them, be- 

 come by habit so completly converted into acquired 

 tendences as to be automatic. It is not improbable 



