★ Keep up to date with the latest news - subscribe to the Transcribe Bentham newsletter; Find a new page to transcribe in our list of Untranscribed Manuscripts
126
But to as for the adjective proud, when applied to a man, the idea it conveys is
unfavorable. When proud is employed to denote the cast of a man's character mind – intimation
is given that that part of his mind is vicious.
A proud day – a proud situation – may be used, & in this indirectly
you may connect a man with an event, & disconnect him from the idea of vicious pride.
Vanity is still worse dealt with. It can hardly be ascribed to a
man without making him the object of contempt or derision, – & a fit object too.
It would scarcely be said possible to speak, certainly not it would not be possible to speak with propriety – of honest becoming,
dignified vanity. A proud day you may have – & think well of it such a day – but
you cannot that do so were you to call it a vain day so.
But for practical purposes the great object is to distinguish
what there is of virtue & what of vice in these qualities of pride & vanity. If
there be virtue it is prudence, benevolence, or beneficence. If there be vice, it
belongs either to imprudence or maleficence. And thus – and for the first time
perhaps, shall we find clear ideas attaching to appellations which are every
day in the year in the mouth of every body.
Were the principles of morality thoroughly understood & obeyed –
in other words, were the popular sanction in every respect that which for the
interests of mankind it is desirable it should become, – what would remain of that which any portion remaining of
pride – would not be in the nature of vice. But as it is, – where public opinion has
not utility for its foundation, – pride is must frequently be classified among vices.
The quantity of virtue or of vice connected growing out of pride & vanity seems
to depend in some manner on the station occupied in the scale of society by the proud or vain
man. In the station of the ruling few pride is more likely to dispose the mind to
vice than to virtue – and so is but not so vanity.
Pride when it runs into vice is the characteristic vice of the
ruling orders – they being from their situation less dependent than other men on
spontaneous services, – to a man so elevated spontaneous services from others become to him comparatively
objects of indifference, – & he is consequently indisposed to obtain those services by
any services rendered by himself, – even the inexpensive services of urbanity.
Pride therefore in such elevated situations draws men away from benevolence &
beneficence & presents these virtues as rivals to the self-regarding interest.
Vanity suggests another course. Its ever-craving appetite, demands
continued services – the services which manifest esteem. And here its tendency is
towards benevolence. And Thus acts seemingly benevolent, – acts bearing upon them the
impress of social sympathy, whether reflective or sentimental, may have their source in
the self-regarding affection of vanity. The acts being produced, – the object is gained to
human happiness. Will not vanity then answer the purposes of utility, by producing
the good which utility proposes as its end? No! not unless opinion –not unless the
popular sanction be on all points in accordance with the teachings of utility.
But the display of vanity – on whatever titles to esteem it be founded
produces competition, increasing with the increase of that esteem of which display is made
and this competition produces uneasiness. Vanity in one breast, calls into existence and
thence into action the emotions – the affections – the passions of envy & jealousy, in many
breasts. every wherever
|
Identifier: | JB/015/276/001 "JB/" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 15.
|
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
015 |
deontology |
||
|
276 |
|||
|
001 |
|||
|
linking material |
1 |
||
|
recto |
f126 |
||
|
sir john bowring |
|||
|
5492 |
|||