What Ought I to Do? An Inquiry into the Nature and Kinds of Virtue, and into the Sanctions, Aims, and Values of the Moral Life. [London, 1915]

In this classic work, one of the seminal thinkers of the twentieth century explores the nature and kinds of virtue, and investigates the sanctions aims, and values of the moral life. In a direct address to readers, Ladd considers such questions as whether there is a single principle or aim of morality; how virtue consists in habits; whether it is more important for moral progress to seek happiness or to be virtuous; what is meant by life's purpose; and whether morality has any objective validity. George Trumbull Ladd (1889-1947) was an American philosopher whose work was influential in ethics, education, theology, and political theory.