Preface
I was a student of physics, chemistry, and mathematics up to intermediate level. I left science to study philosophy mainly because of two reasons:
(i) I had become aware that fundamental questions of social and political philosophy could not be answered unless one first solved the problems of ethics.
(ii) I could also see that question of values were outside the domain of scientific method, which could help us only in solving factual problems.
Thus, I came to philosophy in search of a rational morality, at least as rational as possible. I studied ethics as one of the papers at undergraduate level. I specialized in ethics at Master’s level and became acquainted with the original works of Mill, Kant, Moore and Stevenson. Even my Ph. D. thesis was on the ethical philosophy of Bertrand Russell. Now, I have been teaching ethics to undergraduate and postgraduate students for nearly twenty-five years. In short, I had ample opportunities to study, think and lecture on ethics. However, apart from my The Ethical Philosophy of Bertrand Russell, which is my Ph.D. thesis, I had not written an exclusive book on ethics. My ethical ideas were scattered here and there in my other writings dealing mainly with philosophy of religion and social-political philosophy. I thought the time had come for me to bring these ideas together and to pen down my reflections on ethics for whatever they are worth.
I have not attempted in this book a survey of whole of ethics as, say, in a textbook. I have also not attempted a comprehensive critical analysis of some of the thinkers whom I have chosen to discuss. I have only commented on issues on which I have, I think, something worthwhile to say. In fact, I have tried to develop my own ethical ideas with reference to my distinguished predecessors. I hope my book makes some contribution to the development of a rational ethics based on human needs and desires.
Ramendra
13 January, 2008