Introduction

Study of the history of ethics includes both an account of previous moral beliefs and practices and a critical evaluation of the theories that describe, explain, or criticize moral beliefs. It therefore requires both historical and philosophical understanding. Serious and self-conscious study of Greek ethics from a historical and philosophical point of view began in the nineteenth century. Here I want to consider two moral philosophers who took Greek ethics seriously, Sidgwick and Green. I am interested in their historical claims about Greek ethics, and especially about Aristotle; and for that reason I will go into some detail about Aristotle. But I am also interested in the philosophical assumptions that they apply to the study of Greek ethics, and the different roles played by Greek ethics in their own moral theories.

Sidgwick and Green were near-contemporaries, shared many intellectual and philosophical interests, and reached sharply opposed philosophical conclusions. Both began as students and teachers of classics; Sidgwick excelled here more than Green ever did. Both turned to philosophy partly in order to make up their minds about the claims of Christianity. Sidgwick became an unbeliever, whereas Green considered himself a sort of believer. Both acknowledged a large debt to Kantian ethics. For Sidgwick, however, this was part of a utilitarian position. Green, on the other hand, was an idealist, believing he could integrate the best insights of Aristotle with those of Kant and Hegel to reach an antiutilitarian conclusion.