Moral Sense

By: Bonar, James

"Moral Sense" provides a comprehensive and scholarly examination of the development of the moral sense theory within British philosophy. James Bonar explores the philosophical movement that posited an inherent human faculty for perceiving moral distinctions, akin to the physical senses. This work serves as a historical survey of a pivotal era in ethical thought, tracing the lineage of ideas from their inception through their peak influence in the eighteenth century.

The text focuses on key figures such as Lord Shaftesbury, Francis Hutcheson, David Hume, and Adam Smith, detailing how each thinker contributed to or critiqued the notion of an innate moral sentiment. Bonar also addresses the eventual transition of these ideas into the broader frameworks of modern ethics and the challenges posed by subsequent philosophical developments. By analyzing the relationship between feeling and reason in the determination of virtue, "Moral Sense" offers deep insights into the psychological foundations of morality.

This work is an invaluable resource for those interested in the history of ideas, British empiricism, and the evolution of moral psychology. It remains a significant contribution to the study of how humanity has historically sought to understand the origins of conscience and the nature of ethical judgment.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you may see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.

This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.

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• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1025848047
• ISBN13: 9781025848044
• Release Date: February 2026
• Publisher: Tradd Street Press
• Length: 318 Pages
• Weight: 1.37 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.1" x 9.2"