Systems of Ethics

The book begins with Theoretical Ethics, where Schuyler defines ethics as the science of right and wrong in choice and conduct, and of good and bad in character. He analyzes the moral structure of human action through motives, ends, means, intention, freedom, responsibility, conscience, law, duty, and moral evil, while also comparing major ethical systems such as theistic, intuitional, utilitarian, evolutionary, and eclectic ethics. The second part, Practical Ethics, applies these principles to concrete moral cultivation, especially the development of egoistic and altruistic virtues, the performance of duties, and the meaning of rewards and punishments. The third part, History of Ethics, traces the evolution of moral philosophy from Greek and Roman thought through Christian patristic and scholastic ethics, then into modern European and American moral philosophy, including important English, French, German, and evolutionary thinkers. Across these sections, the work presents ethics as a disciplined inquiry into character, conduct, social responsibility, and the highest good, combining theoretical analysis with practical moral formation and historical perspective.