ABSTRACT
An ethical argument is one that uses at least one ethical premise. The mixed ethical premise is essentially hypothetical. The conclusion is categorical. It follows that one premise must be categorical, if the argument is to be logically valid. Fortunately the essence of them has been put with admirable persuasiveness, brevity, and clearness by Professor A. E. Taylor in an article called 'The Moral Argument for Immortality' in the Holborn Review. The duties of a Christian are the right and reasonable behaviour of a man who is going to survive the death of his body; they are not right or reasonable if we die with our bodies. Professor Taylor admits that Horace's Odes do not make very cheerful reading; surely this may be due, not simply to the fact that Horace believed himself to be mortal, but also to the fact that he acted unreasonably even for a mortal being whose sole aim is to maximise his own happiness.
