When he found himself unable to live what he conceived to be the moral life, he was at first inclined to regard himself as a moral monster; but a closer examination of the conduct of his fellow-men convinced him that they were substantially like himself. The book is the result, – written at intervals, and in the first instance less for publication than for the author's own satisfaction. The first part is critical; the second, constructive. The so-called virtues are regarded as obviously dependent upon the conditions of life. Now these latter vary not only in different countries, but even in the same community; hence there is no real standard. Although so radical, the book cannot be called in any large degree original or striking. It contains a number of careless allusions and statements of fact, which sometimes border upon absurdity as, e.g., on p. 216, where the author casually remarks that all terrestial objects are "essentially the results of atmospheric pressure.".
E. A.
The following books have also been received:
Der Pessimismus im Lichte einer höheren Weltauffassung. Von Dr. J. Friedländer und Dr. M. Berendt. Berlin, 1893, S. Gerstmann's Verlag. – pp. 111.
Der echte und der xenophontische Socrates. Von Karl Joël. Berlin, 1892, R. Gaertner. – pp. xii, 554.
Die Hauptprobleme der Philosophie in ihrer Entwicklung und theilweisen Lösung von Thales bis Robert Hamerling. Von Vincent Knauer. Wien and Leipzig, Wilhelm Bräumuller, 1892. – pp. xviii, 408.
Apologetics; or Christianity Defensively Stated. By Alexander Balmain Bruce. New York, Charles Scribner's Sons, 1892. – pp. xvi, 552.
Das Ich als Grundlage unserer Weltanschauung. Von Gustav Gerber. Berlin, 1893, R. Gaertner. – pp. vii, 429.
Platon, sa philosophie, précédée d'un apercu de sa vie et de ses écrits. Par Ch. Bénard. Paris, 1892, Felix Alcan. – pp. viii, 543.
Guide to the Knowledge of God. A Study of the Chief Theodicies. By A. Gratry, Professor of Moral Theology at The Sorbonne. Translated by Abby L. Alger, with an Introduction by Wm. R. Alger. Boston, 1892, Roberts Brothers. – pp. xi, 469.
La suggestion dans l'art. Par Paul Sourian. Paris, 1893, Félix Alcan. – pp. 345.
Les transformations du droit. Par G. Tarde. Paris, 1893, Félix Alcan. – pp. 242.
Grundriss einer einheitlichen Trieblehre vom Standpunkte des Determinismus. Von. J. Duboc. Leipzig, 1892, Otto Wigand. – pp. xiv. 308.
Der Allgewaltige und Alleserschaffende Unsichtbare in der Natur. Von J. Böhmer. Baumholder, 1892, Böhmer's Verlag. – pp. 212.
System der formalen und realen Logik. Von Dr. Georg Ulrich. Berlin, 1892, Ferd. Dümmler. – pp. 87.