The Philosophy of Loyalty by Josiah Royce (PDF)

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Josiah Royce in his 1908 book “The Philosophy of Loyalty” presented the idea that loyalty is a virtue, indeed a primary virtue, “the heart of all the virtues, the central duty amongst all the duties”. Royce presents loyalty, which he defines at length, as the basic moral principle from which all other principles can be derived. The short definition that he gives of the idea is that loyalty is “the willing and practical and thoroughgoing devotion of a person to a cause”. The cause has to be an objective one. It cannot be one’s personal self. It is something external to oneself that one looks outward to the world to find, and that cannot be found within. It concerns not one’s own person, but other people. The devotion is active, a surrendering of one’s self-will to the cause, that one loves. Moreover, according to Royce, loyalty is social. Loyalty to a cause unites the many fellow-servants of that cause, binding them together in their service. Richard P. Mullin, professor of Philosophy at Wheeling Jesuit University, describes the three words “willing and practical and thoroughgoing” as “packed with meaning”. Loyalty is willing in that it is freely given, not coerced. It is chosen after personal consideration, not something that one is born into. Loyalty is practical in that it is practiced. It is actively engaged upon, not passively expressed merely as a strong feeling about something. Loyalty is thoroughgoing in that it is not merely a casual interest but a wholehearted commitment to a cause.From this definition, Royce constructs a moral framework based upon loyalty, using the notion of loyalty to loyalty itself. In order to do so, Royce distinguishes good causes from evil causes, by defining good causes as those that promote loyalty to loyalty. In other words, loyalty to such a cause enables, promotes, or otherwise furthers the abilities of other people to be loyal to their causes. A cause that destroys the object of someone else’s legitimate loyalty cannot be good. From this can be derived the virtues of truthfulness, justice, benevolence, and courtesy. Royce himself relates this to business ethics: “In the commercial world, honesty in business is a service, not merely and not mainly to the others who are parties to the single transaction in which at any one time this faithfulness is shown. The single act of business fidelity is an act of confidence of man in man upon which the whole fabric of business rests.”

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⭐If you’re reading this book, here are some things you already know: Royce is considered to be America’s great idealist. He was a professor at Harvard at the same time as the great William James, and suffered from a profound inferiority complex. He mixed his “teutonic metaphysics” with appropriate doses of Christianity-inspired ethics. You’ll get treated to all these things in this book.Royce has fallen completely out of fashion since the 1960s due mostly to the modern academy embracing relativism rather than to Royce’s lack of intellectual profundity. But if we dig deep enough, is Royce really that intellectually profound? Idealism always tends towards a “first cause” and “final conclusion” type of structure. It’s the nature of that way of thinking, by definition. Royce abandons profound and critical exploration of his theses frequently by building his arguments around what he believes to be immutable concepts which, frankly, leave one wondering how a man of such intelligence can fall for something so simplistic. Basically, what you have here is Royce defending his idealism against the Pragmatists’ relativism by suggesting that “loyalty to loyalty” is the be-all-and-end-all of ethics. Men (and women) act the way they do, and SHOULD act the way they do based on their commitment to a beloved “cause.” Men (and women) will rally around good causes and reject bad ones. Most critical readers are going to asks themselves, “Can it really be that simple?” In short, I don’t buy it. And you’ll know if you buy it from the introduction. From then on out, Royce will either further convince you with his defense, or you’ll become bored with the monotony of it.

⭐Brand new looking good!

⭐Repetitive and wordy but interesting take on the value of one’s life.

⭐An excellent edition of one of America’s more important philosophers. Highly recommended. I sent this copy overseas in order the address the issue of citizen obligation. Very effective.

⭐It is a great book, a classic. One star for printing in big font that makes it uninviting to read.

⭐The American philosopher Josiah Royce (1855 — 1916) taught a form of idealism and rationalism that has few current adherents. In recent years, however, there has been a revival of interest in Royce’s ethical and social philosophy as developed in a 1908 book, “The Philosophy of Loyalty”. The book is based on a series of eight lectures Royce gave at the Lowell Institute in Boston for a lay audience, rather than an audience consisting solely of professional philosophers. Thus Royce emphasizes the practical aim of his lectures in helping his audience achieve a degree of clarity regarding the nature of ethical behavior and reflection. But the book is also difficult and consists of a mixture of ethics, social philosophy, and idealistic metaphysics and religion.Royce is unique among philosophers in emphasizing what he takes to be the fundamental value of loyalty. The immediate objection to focusing on loyalty as a basis for ethics is that people frequently display loyalty to bad causes, such as a gang of thieves, the Mafia, Nazi Germany, and many other examples. Royce is aware of this objection and tries to meet it as he develops his position.Royce developed his philosophy of loyalty against the backdrop of the tumultuous, changing United States of the early 20th Century. He begins his book, “one of the most familiar traits of our time is the tendency to revise tradition, to reconsider the foundations of old beliefs, and sometimes mercilessly to destroy what once seemed indispenable. This disposition, as we all know, is especially prominent in the realms of social theory and of religious belief.” Royce wants to counter what he sees as the rise of moral individualism, with what Royce sees as its exaggerated notions of atomism and autonomy. He also is concerned with moral skepticism and with a Nietzschean attempt at transvaluation of ethical standards.I think the book aims primarily at dissolving a commonly-held dichotomy of “the individual as against the society” by showing that indvidual lives gain meaning only within the context of a community. Royce’s book can be seen as presenting an ever-widening structure of concentric circles beginning with the self’s relationship to family, and proceeding to community, the choice of a career, nation, humanity, and, ultimately, religion and what Royce takes as the Absolute. The key to the connectedness of self and others, for Royce, is loyalty.Royce offers two definitions of loyalty. The first “preliminary” definition takes the reader through the first six chapters of the book, while the fuller definition is offered only near the end. Royce’s preliminary definition of “loyalty” is “the willing and practical and thoroughgoing devotion of a person to a cause.” The definition has three components: 1. a “cause”, which I take to be a “purpose” to life, 2. a decision by the person to devote him or herself to the chosen cause and 3. actions expressing the decision in a “sustained and practical way”. Among other examples Royce gives of a loyal life is “the devotion of a patriot to his country.”Royce says many insightful things about loyalty in the first six chapters of the book. He discusses how loyalty is to developed and learned beginning in early childhood leading ultimately to the development of individual conscience. He argues that loyalty and the having of a purpose in life external to oneself is the fulfillment of individualism rather than its rejection. He works to separate the concept of loyalty from its miltaristic associations. He tries to apply his philosophy of loyalty to broad, general issues in American life. For example, he criticizes the corruption and self-centered character of both some large corporations and some trade unions.Royce also develops his position of “loyalty to loyalty” in part as a way of meeting the objection that individuals may be loyal to bad causes. Royce argues that individuals have choice in deciding how to lead their lives and in determining the goals they find valuable. Individuals will differ and often disagree in their choices and the consequences. Royce maintains that individuals must make choices which honor the loyal choices of others, even when these choices are not their own. A choice to join the Mafia, for example, does not honor “loyalty to loyalty” because the activities of that organization involve the use of intimidation, violence, and abuse rather than respect for the lives and choices of others.The final two chapters of “The Philosophy of Loyalty” carry the argument to a difficult metaphysical level. Royce argues that the philosophy of loyalty when pushed to metaphysics requires a commitment to an independent truth, expanding the concept of the individual’s relationship to community. Thus Royce argues in favor of a strong notion of truth against the pragmatic conception of truth held by his friend and colleague William James. Royce then concludes by using his strong, absolutistic version of truth to state his full definition of “loyalty”: “Loyalty is the will to manifest, so far as is possible, the Eternal, that is, the conscious and superhuman unity of life, in the form of the acts of an individual Self.” He also restates the definition: “Loyalty is the Will to Believe in something eternal, and to express that belief in the practical life of a human being.” Royce’s full definition of loyalty owes a great deal to William James’ essay, “The Will to Believe”.Royce’s philosophy of loyalty is of strong interest to thinkers working towards a philosophy of community which bridges the tension between individual and society. This was an issue in Royce’s day and remains an issue today. In studying Royce, it remains important to understand how his thinking about loyalty remains emeshed in idealism, even if it is a pragmatic form of idealism.Regardless of whether one agrees with Royce, “The Philosophy of Loyalty” rewards reading for those interested in ethcs, social philosophy, or American philosophy. The book is one of the more accessible of Royce’s writings. It is available in this Vanderbilt edition, in numerous offprints, and is reprinted in full in the second volume of John McDermott’s compilation of the Basic Writings of Josiah Royce

⭐Robin Friedman

⭐Loyalty is one of those moral concepts that has been underappreciated in philosophical literature. Royce changed all that with the publication of this important work. While I don’t always agree with Royce’s philosophical approach, I can’t help but be impressed by the depth of his thought.

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