Progressive Morality

Thomas Fowler poses an unsettling question: might a respectable man fear a fashion mistake more than a hard heart?

Writing in the late nineteenth century, Fowler argues that morality should be examined as carefully as any other subject—and tested against the choices people actually make. He separates the forces that steer conduct: the pain of a hangover, the threat of legal punishment, the pull of social approval, and the moral and religious sentiments that may challenge convention. But public opinion can reward the wrong things, making etiquette seem weightier than kindness or honesty. Fowler sets out to find a practical test for conduct and to show how moral feeling can be educated and improved. When society’s verdict and morality’s demands diverge, which deserves our loyalty?

With centuries of literature, it's inevitable that some will fall through the cracks. We hunt down public domain works and restore them so they're not lost to the world.

Who are we? We're Cairn Press. Our background is in design, publishing, typography, and technology. These skills fuel our mission to create the highest quality Public Domain eBooks available online, at an affordable price. We give them the treatment they deserve; our proprietary process restores books for a better overall user experience in design, readability, and e-reader compatibility.