Jacques Maritain Center

Stonyhurst Philosophical Series

Moral Philosophy:
Ethics, Deontology and Natural Law

by Joseph Rickaby, S.J.

Longmans, Green & Co.

London

1918

Contents

[ Preface ]

Part I -- Ethics

Chapter 1 -- Of the Object-Matter and Partition of Moral Philosophy

Chapter 2 -- Of Happiness

Section I -- Of Ends
Section II -- Definition of Happiness
Section III -- Happiness open to Man
Section IV -- Of the Object of Perfect Happiness
Section V -- Of the use of the present life

Chapter 3 -- Of Human Acts

Section I -- What makes a human act less voluntary
Section II -- Of the determinants of Morality in any given action

Chapter 4 -- Of Passions

Section I -- Of Passions in general
Section II -- Of Desire
Section III -- Of Delight
Section IV -- Of Anger

Chapter 5 -- Of Habits and Virtues

Section I -- Of Habit
Section II -- Of Virtues in general
Section III -- Of the difference between Virtues, Intellectual and Moral
Section IV -- Of the Mean in Moral Virtue
Section V -- Of Cardinal Virtues
Section VI -- Of Prudence
Section VII -- Of Temperance
Section VIII -- Of Fortitude
Section IX -- Of Justice

Part II -- Deontology

Chapter 6 -- Of the Origin of Moral Obligation

Section I -- Of the natural difference between Good and Evil
Section II -- How Good becomes bounden duty, and Evil is advanced to sin

Chapter 7 -- Of the Eternal Law

Chapter 8 -- Of the Natural Law of Conscience

Section I -- Of the Origin of Primary Moral Judgments
Section II -- Of the invariability of Primary Moral Judgments
Section III -- Of the immutability of the Natural Law
Section IV -- Of Probabilism

Chapter 9 -- Of the Sanction of the Natural Law

Section I -- Of a twofold Sanction, Natural and Divine
Section II -- Of the Finality of the aforesaid Sanction
Section III -- Of Punishment, Retrospective and Retributive

Chapter 10 -- Of Utilitarianism

Part III -- Natural Law

Chapter 1 -- Of Duties to God

Section I -- Of the Worship of God
Section II -- Of Superstitious Practices
Section III -- Of the duty of knowing God

Chapter 2 -- Of the Duty of Preserving Life

Section I -- Of Killing, Direct and Indirect
Section II -- Of Killing done indirectly in Self-defence
Section III -- Of Suicide
Section IV -- Of Duelling

Chapter 3 -- Of Speaking the Truth

Section I -- Of the definition of a Lie
Section II -- Of the Evil of Lying
Section III -- Of the keeping of Secrets without Lying

Chapter 4 -- Of Charity

Chapter 5 -- Of Rights

Section I -- Of the definition and division of Rights
Section II -- Of the so-called Rights of Animals
Section III -- Of the right to Honour and Reputation
Section IV -- Of Contracts
Section V -- Of Usury

Chapter 6 -- Of Marriage

Section I -- Of the Institution of Marriage
Section II -- Of the Unity of Marriage
Section III -- Of the Indissolubility of Marriage

Chapter 7 -- Of Property

Section I -- Of Private Property
Section II -- Of Private Capital
Section III -- Of Landed Property

Chapter 8 -- Of the State

Section I -- Of the Monstrosities called Leviathan and Social Contract
Section II -- Of the theory that Civil Power is an aggregate formed by subscription of the powers of individuals
Section III -- Of the true state of Nature, which is the state of civil society, and consequently of the Divine origin of Power
Section IV -- Of the variety of Polities
Section V -- Of the Divine right of Kings and the Inalienable Sovereignty of the People
Section VI -- Of the Elementary and Original Polity
Section VII -- Of Resistance to Civil Power
Section VIII -- Of the Right of the Sword
Section IX -- Of War
Section X -- Of the Scope and Aim of Civil Government
Section XI -- Of Law and Liberty
Section XII -- Of Liberty of Opinion

Appendix