Page:An introduction to ethics.djvu/23

 man knows that he cannot glorify God and enjoy Him unless his own character be good and his own conscience clear.

All these answers, then, different as they are, agree in implying that the good for man is intimately connected with his character. And we may state provisionally that the good for man consists in the development of a strong character in the activities of a socially valuable position in the community. All that this means will be explained fully in subsequent chapters: in particular, it will be shown (a) that this is the highest aim any man can have, and (b) that this aim is possible for every man.

Ethics, then, deals with the vocation of man and the character which he forms in fulfilling that vocation. The subject-matter of ethics is character and conduct. Now, we might have inferred this at once from the etymology of the name ethics. Ethics is derived from the Greek word ἦθος, which means formed character. Further, the word ἦθος is connected with ἔθος, which means custom or habit. Ethics is the science of character, the science which deals with moral customs and habits of conduct. Ethics is sometimes called moral philosophy, a name which is derived from the Latin mores, meaning primarily customs and habits, and secondarily the habits of moral agents in respect of moral action, i.e. character.

But ethics does not simply describe the various kinds of conduct and custom which we actually find among different races of men. It is not content to enumerate the moral customs of the world, and to state the kind of conduct that they sanction. Ethics