What do you think?
Rate this book
The Basis of Morality
Annie Wood Besant (1847-1933) was a prominent Theosophist, women's rights activist, writer and orator. She was born in 1847 in London into a middle-class family of Irish origin. She fought for the causes she thought were right, starting with freedom of thought, women's rights, secularism (she was a leading member of the National Secular Society), birth control, Fabian socialism and workers' rights. Soon she was earning a small weekly wage by writing a column for the National Reformer, the newspaper of the National Secular Society. She was one of the leading figures in Theosophy. Soon after becoming a member of the Theosophical Society she went to India for the first time (in 1893). She devoted much of her energy not only to the Society, but also to India's freedom and progress.
48 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1915
18 people are currently reading
57 people want to read
About the author
Annie Besant
2,121 books149 followersNoted British reformer Annie Wood Besant vigorously supported socialism, birth control, trade unionism, and rights of women; the cause of independence interested her through her involvement with the theosophical society, and she moved and founded the home rule league in 1916 and served as president of the Indian national congress in 1917.
This prominent activist and orator wrote of Irish.
She, aged 20 years in 1867, married Frank Besant but separated over religious differences.
Once free of Frank Besant and exposed to new currents of thought, she began to question her long-held religious beliefs and the whole of conventional thinking. She began to write attacks on the way of the churches in lives of people. In particular, she attacked the status of the Church of England as a state-sponsored faith.
She quickly wrote a column for the National Reformer, the newspaper of the national secular society, to earn a small weekly wage. The society stood for a secular state and an end to the special status of Christianity and allowed her to act of its public speakers. Very popular public lectures entertained in Queen Victorian times. People quickly greatly demanded Besant, a brilliant speaker. Using the railway, she crisscrossed the country, spoke on all of the most important issues of the day, and always demanded improvement and freedom.
For many years, Besant befriended Charles Bradlaugh, leader of the national secular society. Bradlaugh, a former soldier, long separated from his wife; Besant lived with him and his daughters, and they worked together on many issues. He, an atheist and a republican, also tried to get elected as member of Parliament for Northampton.
She then prominently spoke for the national secular society, wrote, and closely befriended Charles Bradlaugh. In 1877, people prosecuted her and Bradlaugh for publishing a book of campaigner Charles Knowlton.
Besant and Bradlaugh, household names in 1877, then published a book of the American campaigner Charles Knowlton. It claimed that never happy working-class families ably decided not want of children. It suggested ways to limit the size of their families.
The scandal made them famous, and people elected Bradlaugh as member of Parliament for Northampton in 1880.
Actions included the bloody Sunday demonstration and the match girls strike of London of 1888. She led speakers for the Fabian society and the social democratic federation of Marxists. She topped the poll and won election to the school board of London for Tower Hamlets, topping the poll even despite few qualified female voters at that time.
In 1890, Besant met Helena Blavatsky, and over the next few years, secular matters waned. She joined as a member and a prominent lecturer on the subject. As part of her related work, she traveled. In 1898, she helped to establish the central Hindu college.
In 1902, she established le Droit Humain, the first overseas lodge of the international order of co-freemasonry. Over the next few years, she established lodges in many parts of the empire. In 1907, she led at international headquarters in Adyar, Madras (Chennai).
She also joined politics. When World War I broke in 1914, she helped to launch to campaign for democracy and dominion status within the empire. This led to her election in late 1917. After the war, she continued to campaign.
In 1922, she helped establish the Hyderabad (Sind) national collegiate board in Mumbai.
She fought, starting with freedom of thought, Fabians, and workers as a leading member of the national secular society alongside Charles Bradlaugh.
She continued to campaign until her death.
This prominent activist and orator wrote of Irish.
She, aged 20 years in 1867, married Frank Besant but separated over religious differences.
Once free of Frank Besant and exposed to new currents of thought, she began to question her long-held religious beliefs and the whole of conventional thinking. She began to write attacks on the way of the churches in lives of people. In particular, she attacked the status of the Church of England as a state-sponsored faith.
She quickly wrote a column for the National Reformer, the newspaper of the national secular society, to earn a small weekly wage. The society stood for a secular state and an end to the special status of Christianity and allowed her to act of its public speakers. Very popular public lectures entertained in Queen Victorian times. People quickly greatly demanded Besant, a brilliant speaker. Using the railway, she crisscrossed the country, spoke on all of the most important issues of the day, and always demanded improvement and freedom.
For many years, Besant befriended Charles Bradlaugh, leader of the national secular society. Bradlaugh, a former soldier, long separated from his wife; Besant lived with him and his daughters, and they worked together on many issues. He, an atheist and a republican, also tried to get elected as member of Parliament for Northampton.
She then prominently spoke for the national secular society, wrote, and closely befriended Charles Bradlaugh. In 1877, people prosecuted her and Bradlaugh for publishing a book of campaigner Charles Knowlton.
Besant and Bradlaugh, household names in 1877, then published a book of the American campaigner Charles Knowlton. It claimed that never happy working-class families ably decided not want of children. It suggested ways to limit the size of their families.
The scandal made them famous, and people elected Bradlaugh as member of Parliament for Northampton in 1880.
Actions included the bloody Sunday demonstration and the match girls strike of London of 1888. She led speakers for the Fabian society and the social democratic federation of Marxists. She topped the poll and won election to the school board of London for Tower Hamlets, topping the poll even despite few qualified female voters at that time.
In 1890, Besant met Helena Blavatsky, and over the next few years, secular matters waned. She joined as a member and a prominent lecturer on the subject. As part of her related work, she traveled. In 1898, she helped to establish the central Hindu college.
In 1902, she established le Droit Humain, the first overseas lodge of the international order of co-freemasonry. Over the next few years, she established lodges in many parts of the empire. In 1907, she led at international headquarters in Adyar, Madras (Chennai).
She also joined politics. When World War I broke in 1914, she helped to launch to campaign for democracy and dominion status within the empire. This led to her election in late 1917. After the war, she continued to campaign.
In 1922, she helped establish the Hyderabad (Sind) national collegiate board in Mumbai.
She fought, starting with freedom of thought, Fabians, and workers as a leading member of the national secular society alongside Charles Bradlaugh.
She continued to campaign until her death.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
April 16, 2014
Revelation can't be a source of morality and the books of scripture even if they bare in its pages some edicts that are ethical, it can't be used as a guide for elsewhere it teaches abhorrent teachings.
Evolution is the only stable basis for talking about morality, if we must
Evolution is the only stable basis for talking about morality, if we must
December 7, 2020
Annie Besant makes some good points concerning holy books, evolution, and utility, but then also deviates from reason and mainstream Abrahamic religion. For example, Besant writes,
"Conscience is the result of the accumulated experience gained by each man in his previous lives."
She doesn't write "it is claimed that-" but states it as fact. The last chapter, "Mysticism," goes on
about revelation and "realising God within" and is a bit much to be used for defining morals/ethics societally.
"Conscience is the result of the accumulated experience gained by each man in his previous lives."
She doesn't write "it is claimed that-" but states it as fact. The last chapter, "Mysticism," goes on
about revelation and "realising God within" and is a bit much to be used for defining morals/ethics societally.
July 11, 2023
The book shows that neither though Revelation, nor through Utility or even Intuition can one find the Basis of Morality, but that is needs Evolution to explain the acute differences betweem the morality of a primitive man and that of an enlightened one.
Maria Carmo
Lisbon 11 07 2023.
Maria Carmo
Lisbon 11 07 2023.
Read
January 2, 2020This massively short philosophical piece gets high marks for multiple reasons. I saw it in the manybooks.com collection which provides free books. It stuck out because it was a female philosophers (we get so little air time). In the book, Annie Besant discusses what the role of the religion and the spiritual is with respect to morality. She has obviously been inspired by recent exposure to Hindu (eastern culture).
Her take as very different than those who make utilitarian and strength arguments. For this I adore her. Instead she notes that happiness is a construct which provides a veil for true discussions of truth and virtue.
I'm not quite sure yet what to make of her thoughts on the perversion of religion into that which moves away from virtue. But I do find it very interesting and different in the discourse of morality.
Her ideas on divinity - if there might not be a God - as just the way of being (i.e. it just is). Such fades beautifully into the ideas of daoism. Her ideas on the role of mysticism and cultures of non-whites are really unique for her time. Perhaps she is an early visionary that the philosophy of West must eventually conjoin with that of the East in the march of evolution of man's thinking.
Her take as very different than those who make utilitarian and strength arguments. For this I adore her. Instead she notes that happiness is a construct which provides a veil for true discussions of truth and virtue.
I'm not quite sure yet what to make of her thoughts on the perversion of religion into that which moves away from virtue. But I do find it very interesting and different in the discourse of morality.
Her ideas on divinity - if there might not be a God - as just the way of being (i.e. it just is). Such fades beautifully into the ideas of daoism. Her ideas on the role of mysticism and cultures of non-whites are really unique for her time. Perhaps she is an early visionary that the philosophy of West must eventually conjoin with that of the East in the march of evolution of man's thinking.
September 27, 2015
This one's is a nice essay like book into inquiry of what should be the basis for morality in men. Book is divided in to five chapters in which Ms. Besant examines different basis of morality - religion, intuition, utility, evolution and mysticism. A nice and refreshing book which can be completed in one sitting.
March 15, 2012
Free Kindle download. Less than fifty pages, originally published in 1915. Very brief and easy to get through with topics covering Revelation, Intuition, Utility, Evolution, and Mysticism. The author is not discussing biological evolution. Worth reading for those interested in philosophy.
October 26, 2010
Actually more like 3.5 stars... but whatever.
For an older take on morality it was applicable to present day ethical conflicts.
For an older take on morality it was applicable to present day ethical conflicts.
September 1, 2014
Never knew there was such thing as "moral disease" but now I do...
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews