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15
Every thing then within us & without us
What is happiness? It is the possession of the pleasure – with the
exemption from. pain It is in proportion to the aggregate of pleasures enjoyed and of pains averted.
And what is virtue It is that which most contributes to happiness – that which maximises
pleasures – & minimises pains. Vice, on the contrary is that which lessens happiness or contributes to unhappiness.
The first law of nature is to wish our own happiness. And the united voices of prudence & efficient benevolence add. To
Seek the happiness of others – seek your own happiness in the happiness of others.
Prudence is the adaptation of means to an end. In the
moral field that end is happiness. The subjects on which prudence is to be exercised
are ourselves – and all besides. Ourselves as instrumental, – & then all besides as
instrumental to our own felicity. To obtain the greatest portion of happiness for himself
is the object of every rational being. Every man is nearer to himself and dearer to himself than he can
be to any other man and no other man can weigh for him his pains & pleasures. Himself must necessarily be his own first concern. His
interests must to himself be the primary interests; – nor on examination will
this position be found unfriendly to virtue and happiness – for how should
the happiness of all be obtained to the greatest extent but by instructing every
one to the obtainment by every one for himself of the greatest obtainable possible portion.
Of what can the
sum total of happiness be made up but of the individual units. What is
demanded by prudence & benevolence is required by necessity. Existence itself
depends for its continuance on the selfish principle. Had Adam cared
more for the happiness of Eve than for his own, – and Eve at the same
time more for the happiness of Adam than for her own, Satan might have
saved himself the trouble of temptation. Mutual misery would have
marred all prospects of bliss – and the death of both have brought to a speedy
finale the history of man.
And what is the important deduction from these postulates.
Are they anti-social in their consequences? Nay! they are in the highest
degree philanthropic & beneficent. For how can a man be happy but
by obtaining the good opinion friendly affections of those on whom his happiness depends?
And how can he obtain their friendly affections but by at last convincing them that he
to gives them his own in exchange? And how can he best convince them but
by by giving them these friendly affections in reality. And if he give
them in reality – the evidence will be found in all his words & deeds. Helvetius
said that "in order to love mankind we ought to expect little from them". We must
be moderate in our expectations calculations – moderate in our exactions. Prudence requires
that we should not raise too high the standard of our hopes – for disappointment
will diminish our own enjoyments, and our benevolence alas good will to others – whereas the
unanticipated service done to us, will coming with the charm of surprise will bring with it a greater sum of pleasure than and
held strengthen the benevolent dispositions of a benevolent cast in our relations with others.
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Identifier: | JB/015/147/001 "JB/" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 15.
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015 |
deontology |
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147 |
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001 |
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linking material |
1 |
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recto |
f16 |
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sir john bowring |
m 1826 |
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1826 |
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5363 |
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