Date of Award
12-1994
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Department
History
First Advisor
Dr. Michael Pritchard
Second Advisor
Dr. Paul Maier
Third Advisor
Dr. Dale Pattison
Fourth Advisor
Dr. Dale Porter
Access Setting
Masters Thesis-Campus Only
Abstract
This thesis analyzes the moral-philosophical and ethical development of four generations of the James Stephen family. The four individuals were James Stephen (1758 -1832), Sir James Stephen (1789 - 1859), Sir Leslie Stephen (1832 - 1904), and Virginia Stephen Woolf (1882 - 1941).
The moral philosophy and ethical development of each of these individuals was analyzed through the application of Alasdair Maclntyre's work in After Virtue: A Study in Moral Theory (Notre Dame, 1984).
The conclusions of the thesis were threefold. First, there was a dramatic shift in both the moral foundations and particular ethics between the first and fourth generations. Secondly, the moral development of the four generations matches closely with that which MacIntyre says has taken place in the West, indicating the perspicuity of Maclntyre's analysis of Western moral thought. Finally, the study has shown that there can be a successful and mutually beneficial integration of the disciplines of History and Philosophy. Using Maclntyre's philosophical analysis of moral thought unearthed the moral thought of the Stephen family to a depth which would have been difficult using only standard historical analysis.
Recommended Citation
DeGroot, David Arie, "The Moral Philosophy of the James Stephen Family: A Study in the History of Ideas" (1994). Masters Theses. 3633.
https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses/3633