A Review of the Systems of Ethics Founded on the Theory of Evolution

A critical survey examines theories that derive moral principles from evolutionary ideas, reviewing prominent thinkers and contrasting their arguments. It analyzes biological concepts such as variation, heredity, adaptation, and the struggle for existence and evaluates their use in moral theorizing, including disputes over teleology, the emergence of reason and consciousness, and the nature of will and choice. The work traces relations among thought, feeling, and volition, weighing physiological, psychological, and social evidence while rebutting simplistic a priori objections. It argues that ethical inquiry should remain empirical, that perfect personal codes are unattainable amid human diversity, and that only general conditions for moral improvement can be specified.