Prev | Current Page 261 | Next

Rickaby, Joseph , S. J., 1845-1932

"Moral Philosophy"


Such was the old Athenian theory, which John Mill, the Principle of
Utility in his hand, completes by saying that by-and-bye, and little
by little (as the prisoner of Chillon came to love his dungeon), the
hampered individual comes to love, and to find an artificial happiness
in, those restrictions of his liberty, which are called Virtue.
It was against this theory that Plato wrote his _Republic_, and, to
compare a little thing to a great, the whole account of moral good
being in consonance with nature, and of moral obligation rising out of
the nature of the individual man, as has been set forth in this brief
Text-book, may serve for a refutation of the perverse doctrine of
Utilitarianism.
_Readings_.--Plato, _Republic_, pp. 338 E, 339 A, 343 C, D, E, 344 A,
B, C, 358 E, 359 A, B, 580 B, C.

* * * * *

PART III. NATURAL LAW.

We assume in Natural Law the preceding treatise on Ethics, and also
the principal truths of Natural Theology.

CHAPTER I.
OF DUTIES OF GOD.
SECTION I.--_Of the Worship of God_.

1. _Worship_ is divided into _prayer_ and _praise_.


Pages:
249 250 251 252 253 254 255 256 257 258 259 260 261 262 263 264 265 266 267 268 269 270 271 272 273