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authority has for its natural attendants, – has for its natural attendants
indolence & ignorance. Even where precepts are founded on good reasons, the
development of those reasons is a matter of considerable exertion & difficulty
– it is a task to which few have been found competent. But to set up
laws & precepts is a task of no difficulty at all – a task to which all
men are competent – the foolish as well as the wise, – a task, which the
foolish indeed are most eager to engage in – for ignorance has no more
convenient cloak than arrogance.

In one word The talisman of arrogance, indolence & ignorance are as Law than is to be found in a single
talisman. word an authoritative imposture which in these pages it will be frequently necessary to unveil. It is the word "ought" – "ought" or "ought not" as circumstances
may be. In deciding 'You ought to do this – you ought not to do it' is not
every question of morals set at rest?

If the use of the word be admissible at all or to it "ought" to be banished
from the vocabulary of morals.

There is another word, – which has a talismanic virtue too –
& which might be wielded to destroy many fatal & fallacious positions.
"You ought" – "you ought not," – says the dogmatist. Why? retorts the
inquirer – Why? To say – 'you ought' is easy in the extreme. To stand the
searching penetration of a Why? is not so easy.

Why ought I? Because you ought – is the not unfrequent
reply – on which the Why? comes back again with the added advantage of
having obtained a victory.

It cannot, may it be answered, be the mere love of ease
that drives the instructor to adopt this phraseology – the love of ease would
not induce him to write even thus glibly & unwisely: but would keep him
from writing at all.

But motives there are stronger than the love of ease. There may
be advantages of many sorts growing out of a particular line of argument.
Out of conformity with public opinion grows reputation out of reputation wealth – out of reputation

Identifier: | JB/015/154/001 "JB/" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 15.
Date_1		Marginal Summary Numbering
Box	015	Main Headings	deontology
Folio number	154	Info in main headings field
Image	001	Titles
Category	linking material	Number of Pages	1
Recto/Verso	recto	Page Numbering	f24
Penner	sir john bowring	Watermarks
Marginals		Paper Producer
Corrections		Paper Produced in Year
Notes public		ID Number	5370
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