JB/015/256/001

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106

Effective Benevolence negative

The negative branch of effective benevolence is the abstinence
from action, where that abstinence either removes a pain or
creates a pleasure for the person or persons who would have in the case of others minds or persons of others.
been the objects of that action. It This branch of virtue presupposes the power of
inflicting suffering or of conferring enjoyment, – & its
operation is to arrest the consequence of that disposition which would if allowed
to act would increase the sum of misery or lessen the sum
of happiness.

Its object is to arrest the word, – or the deed which
would inflict evil on another – & if possible to check the thought
which would create or excite the evil-inflicting or evil-intending word or
deed. In order to give it efficiency it will be well to trace
up to their origin the motives which are unfriendly to it to their origin this
class of virtues. And they will be found to have their source.

1st In the interest of self – which may on some
occasions be indeed in hostility with the benevolent principle sympathies
and on such occasions the benevolent principle sympathies must
succumb. There is no help for it – they are the weaker.
Happily such cases are rare for misery is seldom
inflicted without the production of a reaction on the part of the sufferer. A
man cannot hate another without exciting some portion
of hate in return. He cannot visit another with
unfriendliness without curtailing the friendly affections
of that other towards him. There is no voice whether
of malevolence or benevolence without an echo – no act
whether of good or evil without a vibration. And
this brings the benevolence of forbearance into the
domains of self-regarding prudence, – to which after all
benevolence must make its final appeal.

Identifier: | JB/015/256/001 "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	256	Info in main headings field
Image	001	Titles
Category	linking material	Number of Pages	1
Recto/Verso	recto	Page Numbering	f106
Penner	sir john bowring	Watermarks	j whatman turkey mill 1824
Marginals		Paper Producer	jonathan blenman
Corrections		Paper Produced in Year	1824
Notes public		ID Number	5472
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