A General View of the Progress of Ethical Philosophy

The author examines a text on Ethical Philosophy written by Sir James Mackintosh, beginning with a speculation into the development of ethics. The author supposes any legitimate code of conduct opposes the Bible if it is not derived from it. The author investigates how helpful or harmful a moral philosophy can be and how a specifically Christian moral philosophy performs. He concludes that a Biblical foundation in moral philosophy benefits more than it harms. The author questions why someone might not become a Christian given the same evidence as another person who does become a Christian. He disagrees with Mackintosh on this account, stating that anyone who fails to become Christian is at fault for ignoring the obvious evidence. The author also disagrees with Mackintosh’s description of conscience. The author concludes “this volume contains a full apology for infidelity in its grossest form.” Namely, the author objects to positive treatment of David Hume for rejecting Christian morality. He dismisses the ethical treatise because it fosters “the notion, that virtue is possible, without… obedience to the revealed will of God.”