The Religious Aspect of Philosophy

In The Religious Aspect of Philosophy (1885), Josiah Royce explores the foundations of ethical and religious belief through a rigorous philosophical lens. The work is structured in two main parts: the first investigates the nature and conflict of moral ideals, while the second addresses the metaphysical and epistemological implications of religious thought. Royce critiques prevailing ethical theories, including utilitarianism, evolutionary ethics, and the appeal to conscience, arguing that they fail to provide a non-arbitrary foundation for moral obligation. He proposes instead that true moral insight arises from the recognition of the universal will—a harmonization of conflicting individual aims through a shared moral consciousness. In the second part, Royce extends this insight into a form of absolute idealism, suggesting that the resolution of doubt and error lies in the unity of thought and being, culminating in a religious vision of reality grounded in the moral organization of life. The book is both a critique of modern skepticism and a constructive attempt to reconcile philosophy with the enduring demands of religious faith.