Book Review, Sebin Varghese

Chapter Summaries of Bittle's Man and Morals. Ed. Pallikunnen, Augustine G. Alwaye: Pontifical Institute Publications, 1974.

Introduction

            The book, Chapter Summaries of Bittle's Man and Morals is an edited work by Augustine G. Pallikunnen. The purpose of re-editing and publishing Man and Morals: ethics by Celestine N. Bittle into chapter summaries and glossary is to furnish the students of moral philosophy with brief but precise notion in general and special ethics. Man and Morals has been, primarily intended as a text book for college students, and therefore its summary will undoubtedly be useful for the students who have no easy access to the original work. This book contains 208 pages divided into two parts which includes 12+11=23 chapters followed by a large glossary and bibliography.

Review on the book

            Moral order is a creation of man. To say so means that man is the author of morality. The first chapter deals with just an introduction to ethics dealing the meaning of ethics, ethics a philosophical science, definitions of ethics, scope of ethics, & postulates. 2^nd, 4^th, & 5th chapter deals with human act, its characteristics features. Here defines different human acts and the explanation of will, impediments of human act, & ends of the human act. 3^rd chapter deals with voluntariness. 6^th chapter deals with Man's ultimate end which generally considered as the perfect happiness in other words ultimate happiness in other terms to reach in God. Here explains the meaning of happiness, the possibility of beatitude, the object of perfect happiness, God is man's ultimate good, man's purpose on earth. 7^{th  and  8th}   chapter deals with the norm of reality by explaining criterion and norm, acts objectively good or evil, the ultimate norm of reality, the proximate norm of reality, conscience, the dictates of conscience, synderesis, morally indifferent acts, right reason, moral positivism, stoicism, Kant's Formalism, perfectionism, intuitionism, egoistic Hedonism, utilitarianism, evolutionary naturalism and recent trends. From stoicism to recent trends includes a critical evaluation. 9^th chapter deals with the moral law. General concept of law, the nature of law, different kinds of laws, (from the stand points of obligation, legislature, promulgation and duration) the eternal law, the natural law( natural law in history, existence of the natural law, contents of the natural law) and natural law and positive law chapter 10 deals with obligation and sanction. Chapter 11 deals with virtue and vice and the last chapter of the first parts deal with rights and duties. In this last chapter the author added 18 points for the rights of the human person, 9 points for the rights pertaining to the family, 10 points for the domestic rights of states,13 points for the rights of states in the international community.

             The second part of this book that is special ethics begins with God and man. Here describes natural religion, necessity of natural religion, super natural religion, main acts of religion, irreligion and superstition religion and morality. Chapter 14 deals with duties of love. It describes duties toward self in general, duties referring to man's soul, dutie3s referring to man's body (negative duties and positive duties), duties referring to external goods, duties of love toward others, duty of truthfulness, mental reservation, secrets. Then comes the duty of justice in chapter 15 by saying murder, euthanasia, therapeutic abortion (intentional abortion, indirect abortion), self defense, dueling, lynch law, eugenic sterilization and honor and good name. 16^th chapter deals with right of ownership through explaining nature of ownership, kinds of ownership, object and subject, origin of ownership, the primordial title, false theories, and limitations of ownership. Titles of property is explaining through occupation, accession, labor, prescription, the nature of contracts kinds of contracts, promise, donation, testaments, deposits, commodities, commissions, loans, buying and selling, renting and hiring, partnership, exchange, betting, gaming or gambling, lottery, insurance, market speculation in 16^th chapter. 18^th chapter deals with work and wages. Here come the main headings of liberalism and labor, the champion of labor, the factor4s of industry, a just wage, the living wage, the family wage, labor organization, the right to strike, closed shop and closed union, industry labor and the public. As a continuation of the previous one chapter 19 deals with the domestic society. Here explains the nature of society, authority, kinds of society, man a social being, conjugal society, celibacy, the unity of marriage, the indissolubility of marriage, the marriage contract, the family, rights and duties of parents, rights and duties of child and contraception. 20^th chapter deals with civil society. Here explains about state and different theories of philosophers with an evaluation. In chapter 21 the description about government takes place. Here explains types of government, the reception of authority, extent and limitation of power, legislative power, executive power, judicial power, the state and morality, the state and religion, the state and the church, the state and education, the state and intervention, the right to resist tyranny. The second last chapter deals with international society. Sovereignty, international society international law international and natural law, international justice, international charity, international treaties, the morality of war, the rights of civilians in war., the rights of the victor, duties of citizens in time of war, international peace are the main headings in this chapter. And the last chapter deals with the topic international communism. Here explains about Marx, communism, its history, communism and state, revolution and dictatorship, international communism. Then this book follows a 58 page glossary and 59 page bibliographies.

Critical evaluation and conclusion

            For a student this book is very helpful to know briefly about the morals and man. In other words it helps a student to explain about the morals and man in very short words. The large number of glossary and bibliography helps the reader to clarify the doubts and go for further readings. It is a short key to go the wide area of moral philosophy. This book gives the true inspiration to know more about ethics. It does not provide sufficient examples and explanation to understand well about ethics.

            This book is valuable and beneficial to all, since it provides in a summary from profitable instruction in moral philosophy. To the chapter summaries are added a glossary and a select bibliography of books and articles on topics of ethical interest. Also a short bibliography is given at the end of each chapter.