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Chapter VI
Summum Bonum

In what does the summum bonum consist? The question was debated by
multitudes, debated from generation to generation by men calling themselves
lovers of wisdom, – called by others, wise.

The summum bonum, in what does it consist? What does the term
signify? Nonsense, and nothing more.

The summum bonum, – the sovereign good? What is it? The
philosopher's stone that converts all metals into gold – the balm Hygeian
that cures all manner of diseases. It is this thing & that thing & the other
thing – it is any thing but pleasure – it is the Irishman's apple pie
made of nothing but quinces.

If it were any thing, what would it be? Could it be anything but
pleasure? A pleasure, – or the cause of pleasure. Supreme pleasure –
pleasure without pain – happiness maximised. What fool has there
ever been so foolish as not to know that by no man, – in no time –
at no place – has it ever been such a prize been ever found.

In every walk of discipline error is a sort of vestibule through
which men are condemned to pass on their approaches towards truth.

While Xenophon was writing history & Euclid teaching Geography Geometry
Socrates & Plato were talking nonsense under pretence of teaching wisdom & morality. This
morality of theirs consisted of in words, –this wisdom of theirs was the denial of
matters known to every man's experience, – and the assertions of other matters
opposed to every man's experience. And exactly in the proportion as in which their notions
on this subject differed
from those of the mass of mankind, – exactly in that proportion
were they below the level of it mankind.

The people who took no pleasure in the uttering of any
such nonsense – the people were contented to reap common pleasures under
the guidance of common sense. They were called ignorant & the vulgar herd,
yet they crowded into their existence a balance of well-being & most
of them now & then a portion of happiness. Well being their
ordinary fare, – happiness, a slight taste of it, for an occasional feast.
This was good enough for the ignorant vulgar; – not so for the learned
sages, – men who by whatever name they called their own sageships
were called by others, wisest of men () wise men ()
or lovers of wisdom () that held their holding their
heads aloft & poured forth their streams of sophistry.

To the profane vulgar they left the enjoyment of any
such pleasure as might fall in their way. For their own disciples they
reserved a thing – a beautiful thing which they called
the summum bonum the sovereign good. What was it? Was it pleasure?

Identifier: | JB/015/159/001 "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	159	Info in main headings field
Image	001	Titles	summum bonum
Category	linking material	Number of Pages	1
Recto/Verso	recto	Page Numbering	f28
Penner	sir john bowring	Watermarks	m 1826
Marginals		Paper Producer
Corrections		Paper Produced in Year	1826
Notes public		ID Number	5375
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