Unfettered Beings: Humanities

Economic, political and social status of the culture

Describe the economic, social and political climate of the society.

During the time of George Herbert Palmer, American society had recently finished a period of reconstruction. The nation had to undergo a time of healing after what had been brought about with the civil war. This meant that there was an opportunity to reform the society. This period in American history can be referred to as "The Gilded Age", a name coined by authors Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner. America, in this age, was trying to make its way up the ranks and become a world power. Leaders such as Ulysses S. Grant and Rutherford B. Hayes had begun to establish America's search for superiority. Although this was a time that was still lead mainly by agricultural production, industrialization efforts had made an impact on not only the American economy, but that of the world. It was at this time that industrial capitalists like Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller and Cornelius Vanderbilt had control of most of the nation's wealth and power.

Abstract ideas of the philosopher

Explain the ideas that form basic elements of the philosophies.

George Herbert Palmer, in his philosophical work, wrestles thoroughly with abstract principles of good and goodness. Hence, the name of his book The Nature of Goodness, published in 1903. The first section titled The Double Aspect of Goodness deals with the true meaning of good, which goes much further than its literal meaning. Palmer addresses the fact that society feels naturally familiar with the idea of good. "Since they are so frequently encountering goodness, both laymen and scholars are apt to assume that it is altogether clear and requires no explanation. But the very reverse is the truth." He carries on suggesting that familiarity obscures, and that individuals of society tend to accept the basic principles of good that have been fed to them, rather than searching for genuine truth.

Biography

Write a brief biography of a philosopher.

George Herbert Palmer, born in 1842, was a graduate of Harvard University in 1864. He continued his studies in Europe from 1867 to 1869, and then at Andover Theological Seminary in 1870. He began working as a tutor in Greek at Harvard soon afterwards. He taught there for the rest of his career, becoming professor emeritus and overseer from 1913 to 1919. His list of published works includes The Life and Works of George Herbert (1905), translations of The Odyssey and Antigone, The Field of Ethics (1901) and Altruism: Its Nature and Varieties (1919). Not included in