Ethics : origin and development

A classic in philosophy and ethics, and one of the foundational texts of the anarchist movement of the late 19th and early 20th century. Starting with the moral principle in nature, to the moral conceptions of primitive people, Kropotkin traces the development of moral teachings from ancient Greece, Christianity and the Middle Ages through to the 19th century philosophers. In this way Ethics gives answers to two fundamental problems of morality: its origin and historical development, and its goals and standards. Kropotkin is still today one of the most influential moral voices in the quest for universal human happiness. He wanted this book ''to inspire the young generation to struggle, to implant in them faith in the justice of social revolution, and to light in their hearts the fire of self-sacrifice.'' This was Kropotkin's final masterpiece, which was left unfinished at his death and is the swan song of this great humanitarian, scientist, and anarchist. It constitutes the crowning work and the resume of all his scientific, philosophical, and sociological views, at which he arrived in the course of his long and unusually rich life. Translators' Preface......Page 3 Introduction by the Russian Editor......Page 4 The Present Need of Determining the Bases of Morality......Page 9 The Gradually Evolving Bases of the New Ethics......Page 20 The Moral Principle in Nature (17th and l8th Centuries) (continued)......Page 28 Moral Conceptions of Primitive Peoples......Page 46 Development of Moral Teachings — Ancient Greece......Page 59 Christianity — The Middle Ages — The Renaissance......Page 77 Development of Moral Teachings in the Modern Era (17th and 18th Centuries)......Page 97 Development of Moral Teachings in the Modern Era (17th and l8th Centuries) (continued)......Page 115 Development of Moral Teachings in the Modern Era (End of 18th century and beginning of 19th century)......Page 136 Development of Moral Teachings — XIX Century......Page 147 Development of Moral Teachings — XIX Century (continued)......Page 165 Development of Moral Teachings — XIX Century (continued)......Page 182 Development of Moral Teachings — XIX Century (concluded)......Page 203 Conclusion......Page 210 **Ethics: Origin and Development** is a book by Peter Kropotkin, published posthumously in 1921. It continues the argument of Mutual Aid, that sociable morality is essential to human survival. It was translated into English by Louis S. Friedland and Joseph R. Piroshnikoff in 1924. (Source: [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethics:_Origin_and_Development))