Recent events got me to reading some of my old moral theology texts. I have a
little treasure in a 1924 edition of Coppens' "Moral Philosophy." It's amazing
how the issues haven't changed. He explains and eliminates the five major
"false standards," which are:
1. Determinism
2. Moral Positivism
3. Utilitarianism
4. Kantianism
5. Moral Evolutionism
The last is especially relevant for us. Coppens writes:
"The various ethical theories based on these false evolutionary hypotheses are
as absurd as the assumptions from which they are deduced. Their advocates have
striven in vain to give an adequate explanation of our concepts of moral good
and evil, moral right and duty, moral obligation and responsibility, moral
law. According to the explanations proposed all our moral concepts implying
freedom of the will are illusions into which we have been evolved. Such an
explanation is subversive of all morality.
"Without questioning their earnestness or sincerity, we may call attention to
the fact that keen exponents of moral evolutionism are capable of expressing
vague meaningless formulae in terse dignified language, of skillfully
introducing into the exposition of their false theories eloquent expressions
of principles, and, by attaching new meanings to common ethical terms, of
rendering the full import of their false theory far less obvious."
Beautiful.
Jim