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ALTIMATION.
HAPPINESS - General Stock of - How far greater
by Equality of partition.
Suppose for instance it were
demanded, which of two persons
[in opposite ranks of life.] abstraction
made of all personal other circumstances, is
the happiest — a beggar or the
Duke
with fortune suitable to his rank of the in the Kingdom? I should answer, supposing them
to continue as they are, the Duke,
but supposing the Duke's fortune to
suffer to a certain degree
the Beggar's an improvement
however this may be the Beggar — This much
is self-evident, that they who
comp of the inequality of
Ranks of fortunes cannot consistently
maintain the ability of
Riches and Honors
conversely nor they who remind
the ability
of ranks of honor
and that is
complain of
the inequality.
of Ranks
from those simple considerations which themselves offer
without any extraordinary research we perceive what we a
are to think of either the penetration or the or both
of the rigid Partizans if any such there be of such a Scheme in it's utmost
rigor.
Besides this if there be any System of Government more peculiarly filled ad apte
to attain secure and accumulate the total Happiness of a Society State: an exception must yet
further be made in favor of all the inequality necessary to the maintenance of that
System: always distinguishing as much as possible to keeping the attention fixed upon two questions-- How what such/much
of the System in question really real — & what the only the apparent are the really & what only opportunity from their accidents causes
connection with the other necessary parts [of the System] contribute to those ends? 2 dly What
is the degree of inequality necess really & what only apparently necessary to the maintenance of
those necessary parts? Questions, of great difficulty latitude & delicacy, of which as such
are always best decided in — unless there be upon very manifest and cogent reasons
reasons of for which that pleases
may be the advantage but the Legislature must Leg
be the Judge.
to the contrary, in favor of the actual System actually , both on account of
the difficulty of peaceable alterations and the danger of all violent ones. very important mischief
There is another that may be under this subject deserving Question which deserves our attention of still greater difficulty
& which from the
I shall content myself with proposing: and that is whether a certain degree of inequality (but what that certain degree should
be might still admitt of another) (in the Instruments of Happiness may not contribute more to [on one account in one shape more upon the whole to happiness itself than
even such a degree of equality as would be absolutely necessary to maintain the necessary parts of that System, could such actually established
[even] [a rigorous equality of in the distribution of those Instruments even if it could be effectuated] a degree be attained
Whether if it be true what has been above observed that the happiness of the different ranks classes of men in respect of
to remain fixed in that in which they are born be nearly the same, the happiness of expectation and
acquisition which the inequality of those instruments gives scope for may not exceed that which the it takes from those
who are least favored in the distribution — If it does, then this there may be assigned as the limit limitsof
that inequality applying it to power, if that tho' not a material existence be reckon'd among the instruments of
happiness, that it be such, as that those who may aspire to it may not
be exposed to the pleas have the other Instruments of happiness taken away from
them by those who are in possession of it: applying it to
i.e. the material instruments as that those who aspire to them may not have to fear
their being taken away the distribution from them those the they have from the
power consequent to the possession of the
which they aspire to — change the construction of
the sentence.
Whatever be the sentiments of mine
upon these questions, this much
will be universally agreed, that
the inequality of happiness
ensuing from certain
persons in certain
occasional circumstances
DISTRIBUTION - Sum of Happiness aug| |mented by equal Distribution of its cause
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deontology |
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distribution sum of happiness augmented by equal distribution of its cau<…> |
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happiness - general stock of - how far greater by equality of partition |
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jeremy bentham |
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