ABSTRACT
The social, indeed the ethical and philosophical, implications of what was happening, and more of what men desired should happen, was of considerable significance. The old conception of social morality took as its starting point the assumption that a rigid hierarchy in society was not only sanctioned by immemorial custom but was also necessary if that order, which made civilized life possible, was to be maintained. Between 1832 and 1885 there were drastic changes in British society and considerable developments in the prevalent political and social philosophy, particularly in so far as this referred to the functions of the State. The starting point of the old system of ethics was the claim that the order of society was divinely ordained. In modern conditions a social problem is recognized as having a national, or even an international, relevance.
