Abstract

In this paper I present the social and moral philosophy of the American idealist Josiah Royce. Royce’s key notions, loyalty and community, are explained and interpreted in the spirit of Hegelianism, the philosophy of Schopenhauer, Christianity, and American pragmatism. I argue that Royce’s social and ethical outlooks lead him to a kind of conception of Utopian society called by him the Great Community.