Ethical movement
The Ethical Movement, also known as Ethical Culture or Ethical Humanism, originated in the late nineteenth century in New York City and aims to unite individuals around shared ethical values grounded in moral principles rather than religious doctrines. Founded by Felix Adler, the movement emphasizes the inherent worth and dignity of every person and encourages ethical growth and social justice. While some members view it as a religion, it does not revolve around worship of a deity, allowing for personal beliefs regarding divinity.
Rooted in the moral philosophy of Immanuel Kant, particularly his concept of the Categorical Imperative, the movement promotes universal ethical standards that respect individual autonomy. Over the years, Ethical Culture has expanded its influence beyond the United States, establishing societies in various countries and focusing on social issues such as education, civil rights, and community welfare. Notable initiatives include the establishment of the first free kindergarten in the U.S., the support of the NAACP, and participation in modern social justice causes. Overall, the Ethical Movement continues to advocate for positive societal change while fostering a sense of community among its members.
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Ethical movement
The ethical movement, or ethical culture movement, is a push to unite people in sharing ethical values that are based on moral principles rather than on religion or philosophy. The movement dates to the late nineteenth century and was founded in New York City. The ethical movement is also known as ethical humanism and ethical culture.
While many members describe it as a religion, it is not a faith movement that worships a deity. Individuals are free to believe in a deity if they choose, but the movement is based on ethics and respect for all individuals rather than on theology.
Background
The ethical movement has its roots in the theories of moral philosophy of Immanuel Kant (1724–1804). According to Kant, human morality relies on a standard of rational thought. He called this standard the Categorical Imperative (CI) and used it to evaluate the absolute rules of human behavior, rules that apply to all under all conditions. As an ethical theory, it describes how people should act, not how they actually do act. The CI is similar to the Golden Rule: “Do unto others as you would have them do to you.” As a scientist, Kant was interested in natural science and therefore looked for natural laws. This is reflected in his theory of the CI. The CI is universal because all humans have reason and in theory would act the same way. It is impartial because their actions should be guided by respect for all humans’ autonomy and dignity.
Felix Adler, a German-born American philosopher and educator, founded the Society for Ethical Culture in 1876 in New York City. Adler disagreed with tying religious canon—specifically Judaism and Christianity—with ethics. He supported Kant’s ideas about human actions; at the heart of the ethical movement is Kant’s belief in the value of every person.
Adler focused on three primary goals for his movement. He wanted members to pursue sexual purity, support the working classes financially with income exceeding their needs, and continue to seek knowledge.
Adler organized the Society for Ethical Culture like a religion. Members attended Sunday services and leaders officiated marriages and funerals. Belief in a deity was a personal choice, but not an element of the ethical movement. Some members who felt that the term religion was a synonym for a faith community worshiping a deity have instead referred to ethical culture as a fellowship.
Adler was not alone in promoting his ideals. He was aided by W. M. Salter, Stanton Coit, and Walter L. Sheldon. They carried the ethical movement to other cities, including Chicago and Philadelphia, and from the United States to Europe—specifically Austria, England, France, Germany, and Switzerland—as well as Japan and India in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. In 1893, the societies of the ethical culture movement established the American Ethical Union (AEU) in New York City as its primary organization.
Members have taken a fresh approach to improving society. For example, Coit bought and moved into a tenement house in a poor neighborhood in New York City. He welcomed members of the community into his building for various programs and to help meet their needs, such as hunger. Rather than be a presence that showed up in a neighborhood to change it or save it, Coit worked from the inside as a member of the community. Doing so gave him credibility among his neighbors and allowed him to experience the community and understand what people needed. Adler was particularly interested in tenement houses because their overcrowded conditions fostered contagious diseases. To provide a better option, Adler led the development and construction of model tenements that could be rented for modest rates on Manhattan’s Lower East Side in the 1880s.
Overview
Adherents of ethical culture hold humanist beliefs, which emphasize the importance of mankind over supernatural forces or deities, and believe in the worth of all individuals. They also believe that everyone has the potential to grow and seek ethical growth. Social issues are central to ethical culture, and members seek positive social change. They work to improve themselves and one another and further social justice for humankind.
To further its aims, the New York Society for Ethical Culture continues to support several ventures begun in 1877. The Visiting Nurse Service is the modern incarnation of the Society-founded District Nursing Service. The Society also established the first free kindergarten in the United States. The Workingman’s School was chartered in 1880 and reorganized in 1895, when it became the Ethical Culture School. An upper school was added in 1928.
Adler’s focus on improving conditions in neighborhoods has continued. The Child Study Association was established as the Mothers’ Society to Study Child Nature. The Society also helped found the Settlement House Movement in New York.
Society members have contributed to their communities by creating and funding public libraries, clubs, gymnasiums, kindergartens, mothers’ clubs, employment bureaus, and educational classes. Many of the establishments they founded in New York live on as the Hudson Guild, Henry Street Settlement, and Neighborhood Guild.
The Society, with Adler’s encouragement, supported women’s rights and civil rights. Writer James Weldon Johnson, one of the leaders of the Harlem Renaissance of the early twentieth century, was a Society member for fifteen years. The Society welcomed W. E. B. DuBois, Booker T. Washington, and other civil rights activists to speak and supported their cause. Leaders of the Society for Ethical Culture signed a petition in 1909 that called for the creation of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). When the National Urban League formed its first executive committee in 1910, Adler became a member.
Many of the critical social justice organizations in the United States are related to the Society and its members. For example, NY Society leader John Lovejoy Elliott helped found the organization that became known as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). The ACLU has gone to court many times to uphold the ideal of equality. The Women’s Conference helped establish the Planned Parenthood Clinic on Manhattan’s Upper West Side in 1959. In the twenty-first century, the Society has been active in the fight to repeal the death penalty and is a supporter of the Innocence Project, which works to get DNA testing of wrongfully accused prisoners and fight for their freedom.
Following Adler’s lead, the Society has also been active in foreign policy issues. For example, Adler opposed the arms races that arose after World War I. He also supported decolonization efforts, particularly the idea of establishing democracies in American territories such as the Philippines and Puerto Rico rather than treating them as colonies.
Bibliography
“About.” New York Society for Ethical Culture, 2020, ethical.nyc/about/. Accessed 7 Jan. 2025.
“All Work and No Play: Celebration at the Workingman’s School.” New-York Historical Society Museum & Library, 2 May 2018, blog.nyhistory.org/all-work-and-no-play-celebration-at-the-workingmans-school/. Accessed 7 Jan. 2025.
A Brief History of the Ethical Culture Movement.” Ethical Culture Society of Westchester, ethicalsocietywestchester.org/philosophy-of-ethical-culture/a-brief-history-of-the-ethical-culture-movement/. Accessed 7 Jan. 2025.
“Coit, Stanton.” VCU Libraries Social Welfare History Project, socialwelfare.library.vcu.edu/people/coit-stanton/. Accessed 7 Jan. 2025.
“Felix Adler (1851–1933).” Jewish Virtual Library, www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/felix-adler. Accessed 7 Jan. 2025.
“History.” New York Society for Ethical Culture, ethical.nyc/history/. Accessed 7 Jan. 2025.
“Kant’s Moral Philosopher.” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 7 July 2016, plato.stanford.edu/entries/kant-moral/. Accessed 7 Jan. 2025.
“Origins.” Baltimore Ethical Society, bmorethical.org/ethical-culture/origins/. Accessed 7 Jan. 2025.
Rutland, Emily. “New York Society for Ethical Culture.” The City Atlas, 31 Dec. 2017, newyork.thecityatlas.org/people/new-york-society-for-ethical-culture/. Accessed 7 Jan. 2025.