Chapter 4

GOODNESS AS ITS OWN REWARD.

What has been said in the last chapter is really admitted by the positive school themselves 77

As we can learn explicitly from George Eliot 78

In _Daniel Deronda_ 78

That the fundamental moral question is, '_In what way shall the individual make life pleasant?_' 79

And the right way, for the positivists, as for the Christians, is an inward way 80

The moral end is a certain inward state of the heart, and the positivists say it is a sufficient attraction in itself, without any aid from religion 81

And they support this view by numerous examples 82

But all such examples are useless 83

Because though we may get rid of religion in its pure form 83

There is much that we have not got rid of, embodied still in the moral end 84

To test the intrinsic value of the end, we must sublimate this religion out of it 86

For this purpose we will consider, first, the three general characteristics of the moral end, viz. 88

Its inwardness 88

Its importance 89

And its absolute character 91

Now all these three characteristics can be explained by religion 93

And cannot be explained without it 96

The positive moral end must therefore be completely divested of them 100

The next question is, will it be equally attractive then? 100