igo THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY, 



considered in its relations to its surroundings as well as separately. 

 Even in matters not usually considered from a scientific stand-point 

 the same law holds. To go no further than our own pages, the writer 

 who is dealing with the question " How to get strong ? " would not 

 consider how the arms are to be strengthened without duly considering 

 that the arras are part of the body, their exercise related to the exer- 

 cise of other portions, their development associated with the develop- 

 ment of other limbs, with the action of other parts of the body, with 

 the regimen proper for the whole frame. 



It may not by many be regarded as a fault of most systems of 

 morality that they overlook the necessary connection between con- 

 duct in general and conduct as guided by moral considerations. For 

 many are content to regard moral laws as existing apart from any of 

 the results of experience — whether derived from individual conduct, 

 the conduct of men generally, or conduct as seen among creatures of 

 all orders. With many, morality is looked upon as a whole — the whole 

 duty of man — not as a part of conduct. They even consider that moral 

 obligations must be weakened when their dependence on conduct in 

 general is insisted upon. Moral rules, with them, are right in them- 

 selves and of necessity — and whether inculcated by extra-human au- 

 thority, or enjoined by law, or perceived intuitively, are open neither 

 to inquiry nor objection. Clearly if this were so, morality would not 

 be a fitting subject for the scientific method. Its rules would be deter- 

 minable apart from the discussion of evidence based on experience, 

 whether observational or experimental. I do not here inquire whether 

 this view is right or wrong. Later on it will fall into my plan to do 

 so. At present I only note that we are considering our subject from 

 the stand-point of those who desire to view morality in its scientific 

 aspect. For them it is essential that, as conduct in general includes 

 conduct depending on duty, the discussion of questions of duty can 

 not be complete or satisfactory unless it is conducted with due refer- 

 ence to the whole of which this subject forms a part. 



If any doubt could exist in the mind of the student on this point, 

 it should be removed when he notes that it is impossible to draw any 

 sharply defined line between duty and the rest of conduct not depend- 

 ing on considerations of duty. Not only are those actions which un- 

 der particular circumstances seem absolutely indifferent found under 

 other circumstances to be right or wrong and not indifferent, not only 

 do different persons form different ideas as to what part of conduct is 

 indifferent or otherwise, but one and the same person in different parts 

 of his life finds that he draws different distinctions between conduct 

 in general and conduct to be guided by moral considerations. In the 

 evolution of conduct in a nation, in a town, in a family, or in the indi- 

 vidual man, the line separating conduct regarded as indifferent from 

 conduct regarded as right or wrong is ever varying in position — some- 

 times tending to include among actions indifferent those which had 



