Outlines of the history of ethics for English readers

Introduction. I. Greek and Greco-Roman ethics. Pre-Socratic ethics (550-430 B.C.)

Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle (430-322 B.C.): Cynics and cyrenaics

Post Aristotelian ethics, from 300 B.C. to (say) 300 A.D.

II. Christianity and Medieval ethics. Pre-scholastic period to 1100 A.D.: Augustine (354-430 A.D.) ; Erigena (circ. 810-877 A.D.)

Scholasticism grows and culminates (1100-1274 A.D.)

Decay of medieval philosophy and transition to modern thought (circ. 1300-1600 A.D.).

III. Modern, chiefly English, ethics. Hobbes (1640 and 1651)

Independent morality. Rational and jural (1651-1711)

Psychological anti-egoism. Naturalness of disinterested benevolence and conscience (1711-1747)

Butler (1726 and 1736). Dualism of governing principles. Divergence of conscience and benevolence

Psychology predominant over ethics. Explanation of moral sentiments (1740-1759)

Later intuitionism and common sense, from 1757 (Price) or 1788 (Reid)

Fully developed Utilitarianism, from 1785 (Paley) to 1789 (Bentham).

General account of the subject. Ethics, the study of the ultimate good of man, distinguished from theology, the study of absolute good

Ethics partially distinguished from politics

Ethics and psychology

Ethics: the study of duty or right conduct

Ethics and jurisprudence. Origin of the moral faculty. Free will. Summary view of ethics.

Greek and Greco-Roman ethics. Pre-Socratic philosophy: Pythagoras; Heraclitus; Democritus

The age of the Sophists

Socrates

The Socratic schools: Aristippus and the Cyrenaics ; Antisthenes and the cynics

Plato

Plato's theory of virtue

Plato's view of pleasure; and its relation to human good

Plato and Aristotle

Aristotle's view of human wellbeing

Aristotle's theory of virtue

Aristotle's account of justice, friendship, and practical wisdom

Plato and Aristotle on the voluntary

Transition to stoicism: Zeno

Stoicism. The passionless sage. Stoic freedom and determinism

Stoic wisdom and nature

Stoics and Hedonists

Epicurus

Later Greek philosophy. Academic scepticism and eclecticism

Philosophy in Rome. Cicero

Roman stoicism. Seneca; Epictetus; Marcus Aurelius

Later Platonism and Neo-Platonism. Plutarch; Plotinus.

Christianity and Medieval ethics. The characteristics of Christian morality to be distinguished

Christian and Jewish "Law of God"

Christian and pagan inwardness. Faith; Love; Purity (in general sense)

distinctive particulars of Christian morality. Obedience; Alienation from the world and the flesh; Patience; Beneficence; Christianity and wealth; Purity (in special sense); Humility; Religious duty; Christianity and Free will

Development of opinion in early Christianity. Monastic morality

Development of ethical doctrine. Augustine; Ambrose

Ecclesiastical morality in the "Dark Ages"

Scholastic ethics. Johannes Erigena; Anslem; Abelard; Scholastic method; Peter the Lombard

Thomas Aquinas. Duns Scotus; Occam

Medieval mysticism. Bonaventura; Eckhart

Casuistry. The Jesuits

The Reformation. Transition to modern ethical philosophy.

Modern, chiefly English, ethics. Modern ethics before Hobbes. Bacon; The law of nature; Grotius

Hobbes

The Cambridge moralists. Cudworth; More

Morality as a code of nature. Cumberland; Locke

Clarke

Shaftesbury. Mandeville

Butler. Wollaston

Shaftesbury's doctrine developed and systematised. Hutcheson

Moral sentiments and sympathy. Hume; Adam Smith

Moral sentiments compounded by association. Hartley; Psychology and ethics

Later intuitionism. Price

Reid

Dugald Stewart. Whewell; Controversy between intuitional and utilitarian schools

Utilitarianism. Tucker; Paley

Bentham and his school

J.S. Mill. Associationism

Current ethical controversies. Association and evolution; Evolutional ethics; Optimism and pessimism; Transcendentalism; T.H. Green

Free will. Reid on free will; Determinist ethics

French influence on English ethics. Helvetius; Comte

German influence on English ethics. Kant; Post-Kantian ethics; Hegel; German pessimism; Schopenhauer; Hartmann.