''The Origin and Development of the Moral Ideas'' is a book by the Finnish philosopher
Edvard Westermarck, published between 1906 and 1908. One of his main works,
[ Pojman 1999. p. 970.] it is a monumental study and a classic in its field, though now antiquated.
Summary
Westermarck, in the preface to ''The Origin and Development of the Moral Ideas'', describes the background to his work. Having concluded that there is a close connection between moral opinions and religious beliefs, he decided to acquire first-hand knowledge of the folklore of a non-European people, and to that end spent four years in
Morocco collecting anthropological data, familiarizing himself with the native way of thinking, and gaining an understanding of local customs. He was also indebted to British science and thought.
In his introduction, Westermarck asks why different cultures have different moral views. Throughout the book, he attacks the idea that moral principles express objective value.
Reception
Wainwright Churchill criticizes Westermarck's claim that the Greeks of the Homeric era were unaware of or repudiated
pederasty, citing the contrary view of classical scholar Hans Licht. Westermarck's use of the expression "homosexual love" has been given as an early example of the use of the word "homosexual" in English. The classicist
David M. Halperin
David M. Halperin (born April 2, 1952) is an American theorist in the fields of gender studies, queer theory, critical theory, material culture and visual culture. He is the cofounder of '' GLQ: A Journal of Lesbian and Gay Studies'', and autho ...
writes in ''
One Hundred Years of Homosexuality
''One Hundred Years of Homosexuality: and other essays on Greek love'' is a 1990 book about homosexuality in ancient Greece by the classicist David M. Halperin, in which the author supports the social constructionist school of thought associated w ...
'' (1990) that Westermarck's book formed part of a trend to interpret Greek sexual conventions in an anthropological and ethological context, an approach that contrasts with earlier scholarly studies that proceeded from the assumption that classical Greek society was virtually unique in its acceptance of pederasty.
[ Halperin 1990. pp. 54, 158, 170.]
References
Bibliography
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External links
Link to copy of bookLink to site where book is being prepared for Project Gutenberg
{{DEFAULTSORT:Origin and Development of Moral Ideas
1906 non-fiction books
Books by Edvard Westermarck
Contemporary philosophical literature
English-language books
Ethics books
Moral psychology books