moralist (moralist)

[= F. moral i ste = Sp. Pg. It. moralist a; as moral + -ist.] 1. One who teaches morals; a writer or lecturer on ethics; one who inculcates moral duties. Nature surely (if she will be studied) is the best moral ist , and hath much good counsel hidden in her bosome. Sir H. Wotton , Reliquiæ, p. 77. The advice given by a great moralist to his friend was that he should compose his pa ions. Add is on. The Rational Moralists (Cudworth, Wollaston, Clarke, Price) give no account of the final end of morality. A. Bain , Emotions and Will, p. 257. 2. One who practises moral as distinguished from religious duties; a merely moral as distinguished from a religious person. [Rare.] Another is carnal, and a mere moralist . South, Sermons, VII. 286. Sweet moralist ! afloat on life's rough sea, The Christian has an art unknown to thee. Cowper, A Reflection on Horace, book ii., ode 10. moralistic (mor-a-lis'tik), a. [ morality (mō-ral'i-ti), n.; pl. moralities (-tiz). [ The end of morality is to procure the affections to obey reason, and not to invade it. Bacon , Advancement of Learning, ii. Moral philosophy, morality, ethics, casuistry, natural law, mean all the same thing, namely, that science which teaches men their duty and the reasons of it. Paley , Moral Philos., i. 1. The attempt to exhibit morality as a body of scientific truth fell into discredit, and the disposition to dwell on the emotional side of the moral consciousne became prevalent. H. Sidgwick , Methods of Ethics, p. 91. 2. The character of being moral; accord with the rules of right conduct; moral quality; virtuousne : often used in a restricted sense to denote sexual purity. The morality of an action is founded on the freedom of that principle by virtue of which it is in the agent's power, having all things ready and requisite to the performance of an action, either to perform or not perform it. South , Sermons. Until we have altered our dictionaries, and have found some other word than morality to stand in popular use for the duties of man to man, let us refuse to accept as moral the contractor who enriches himself by using large 3856 Our theory has been that the development of morality is founded on the action in man of an idea of true or absolute good, consisting in the full realisation of the capabilities of the human soul. T. H. Green, Prolegomena to Ethics, § 286. In point of fact, however, morality means nothing more nor le than that state of natural neutrality or indifference to good and evil, to heaven and hell, which distinguishes man from all other existence, and endows him alone with selfhood or freedom. H. James , Subs, and Shad., p. 4. Hence-4. The practice of moral duties regarded as apart from and as not based upon vital religious principle. All others, they [the Jews] thought, served God only with their own Inventions, or placed their Religion in dull mo rality. Stilling fleet, Sermons, I. viii. Morality, thou deadly bane, Thy tens of you sands thou hast slain! Vain is his hope whose stay and trust is In moral mercy, truth, and justice! Burns , Dedication to Gavin Hamilton. 5. A moral inference or reflection; a moralization; intent; meaning; moral. But ye that holden this tale a folye, As of a fox, or of a cok and hen, Taketh the moralite thereof, goode men. Chaucer , Nun's Priest's Tale, 1. 620. A genial optimist, who daily drew From what he saw his quaint moralities . Bryant, The Old Man's Counsel. 6. A kind of drama which succeeded the miracle-plays or mysteries, and in which the persons of the play were abstractions, or allegorical representations of virtues, vices, and mental powers and faculties. A popular feature of the moralities was the introduction of the Devil and a Vice who under many names attended him, and who was finally merged in the fool of the later drama. A morality may be defined as a play enforcing a moral truth or le on by means of the speech and action of characters which are personified abstractions-figures representing virtues and vices, qualities of the human mind, or abstract conceptions in general. A. W. Ward , Eng. Dram. Lit., L. 55. =Syn. 1-3. Morality, Morals, Manners, Virtue, Ethics. Morality (or morals) and manners stand over against each other as respectively conforming to right or propriety in the great duties and in the minor forms of action and intercourse. Morality is often popularly applied to conformity to right in that particular in which right conduct is most felt to be important, as chastity or honesty. Virtue is morality of the fullest type and regarded as a part of personal character. Ethics is the technical, as morals is the popular, name for the science of virtue. moralization (moral-i-zā'shon), n. [ moralisation = Sp. mora liz a cion = Pg. moral i sação = It. moralizzazione, It is more commendable, and also commodious, if the players haue red the moralization of the che e, and whan they playe do thynke vpon it. Sir T. Elyot , The Govern our, i. 26. Annexed to the fable is a moralization of twice the length in the octave stanza. T. Warton, Hist. Eng. Poetry, III. 417. John de Vigney wrote a book which he called "The Moralization of Che ," wherein he a ures us that this game was invented by a philosopher named Xerxes in the reign of Evil Merodach, king of Babylon, and was made known to that monarch in order to engage his attention says de Vigney, "which induced the philosopher to institute this new pastime: the first, to reclaim a wicked king; the second, to prevent idlene ; and the third, practically to demonstrate the nature and nece ity of noblene . Strutt, Sports and Pastimes, p. 406. and correct his manners. "There are three reasons," 3. The act of rendering moral; subjection mora Fierce warres and faithful loves shall moralize my song Spenser, F. Q., Prol. High as their Trumpets Tune his Lyre he strung, And with his Prince's Arms he moraliz'd his Song. Prior, Ode to the Queen, st. 1. While chastening thoughts of sweetest use, bestowed By wisdom, moralize his pensive road. Words worth. 3. To exemplify the moral of: as, to moralize a fable. [Rare.] That which is said of the elephant, that being guilty of his deformity he cannot abide to look on his own face in the water (but seeks for troubled and muddy channels), we see well moralized in men of evil conscience, who know their souls are so filthy that they dare not so much as view them. Bp . Hall , Meditations and Vows, ii. § 4. Sir R. L'Estrange. This fable is moralized in a common proverb. 4. To render moral; give a moral character to. It had a large share in moralizing the poor white people of the country. G. Ramsay . 'Tis yours with Breeding to refine the Age, To Chasten Wit, and Moralize the Stage. Steele, Conscious Lovers, Prol. As a rule, it will only be to a man already pretty thoroughly moralised by the best social influences that it will occur to reproach himself with having unworthy motives even in irreproachable conduct. T. H. Green, Prolegomena to Ethics, § 300. 5. To affect strongly the moral or religious sense of; bring into a state of intense moral or religious feeling. [Rare.] The negroes and many of the poor whites were, for a week or two, not exactly "demoralized" [by an earthquake], but intensely moralized , giving themselves to religious exercises of a highly emotional character. Science, IX. 491. II. in trans. 1. To make moral reflections; draw practical le ons from the facts of life. Thou hear'st me moralize , Applying this to that, and so to so, For love can comment upon every woe. Shak., Venus and Adonis, 1. 712. I know you come abroad only to moralize and make obSteele, Tatler, No. 170. servations. Peter of Blois moralising "de præstigiis fortunæ," on the magic tricks of Fortune exemplified in the career of his royal patron. Stubbs , Medieval and Modern Hist., p. 147. 2. To have an influence, especially a beneficial influence, on morals. It is not so much that a social life pa ed in peaceful occupation is positively moralizing as that a social life pa ed in war is positively demoralizing. H. Spencer , Prin. of Sociol., § 575. Also spelled moralise . moralizer (mor'al-i-zér), n. 1. One who moralizes or makes moral reflections; an instructor in morals. My uncle was a moralizer who mistook his apophthegms for principles. T. Hook, Sayings and Doings. In fact there is scarcely any point upon which moral izers have dwelt with more emphasis than this, that man's forecast of pleasure is continually erroneous. H. Sidgwick , Methods of Ethics, p. 121. 21. One who has a habit of finding an allegory or hidden meaning in pa ages. Moralizers, you that wrest a never meant meaning out of everything, applying all things to the present time, keep your attention for the common stage. Nash , Sumner's Last Will and Testament. Also spelled moraliser . moralizing (mor'al-i-zing), n. [Verbal n. of moralize , v.] A moral reflection; a moralization. Also spelled moralising . It will be seen by these edifying moral i zings how eminently Scriptural was the course of Sam's mind. H. B. Stowe, Oldtown, p. 359. character to something. The elimination of ethics, then, as a system of precepts, involves no intrinsic difficulties other than those involved in the admi ion of a natural science that can account for the moralisation of man. T. H. Green, Prolegomena to Ethics, § 8. The highest type of moralisation lies in acquiring such an abstract basis of principle as makes a man a spontaneous and independent fountain of justice and goodne , not a mere channel through which runs a public and common beneficence. W. Wallace, Mind, XIII. 425. Also spelled moralisation . moralize (mor'al-iz), v.; pret. and pp. moral ized , ppr. moralizing. [= D. moralise ren = G. moral i siren = Sw.moraliser a Dan. moral is ere , chinery to make pasteboard soles pa as leather for the F. moraliser = Sp. Pg. moral izar = It. moraliz feet of unhappy conscripts. George Eliot , Theophrastus Such, xvi. 3. Moral conduct; the practice of the duties inculcated by the moral rules that are recognized as valid; in a general and collective sense, those forms of human conduct which are the subject of moral judgments. Morality [in Shaftesbury's theory] is only Beauty in one of its higher stages. Fowler, Shaftesbury and Hutches on, p. 126. zare, But what said Jaques? Did he not moralize this spectacle? Shak., As you Like it, ii. 1. 44. 2. To supply with a moral or practical le on; furnish with edifying examples. of view; with reference to the moral law; in a moral or ethical sense; ethically. By good, morally so called, bonum honestum ought chiefly to be understood. South , Sermons. The e ential thing morally is the man's direction of himself to the realisation of a conceived or imagined object, whether circumstances allow of its i uing in outward action, action that affects the senses of other people, T. H. Green, Prolegomena to Ethics, § 144. or no. 2. In accordance with moral law; rightly; virtuously; uprightly. To take away rewards and punishments is only pleasing to a man who resolves not to live morally . Dryden. 3. Virtually; practically; to all intents and purposes. It is morally impo ible for a hypocrite to keep himself Sir R. L'Estrange. long on his guard. =