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63
Self-regarding prudence Actions
The acts which come under that head of that branch of prudence which regards alone we are now considering
are either such as are in their character unsociable, and accordingly performed without
witness, – or such as are performed in the presence of others. They may therefore
be divided into uncognisable, – and in cognisable acts.
Those which are performed out of views are actions purely internal namely,
thoughts in so far as thoughts are voluntary, – or external actions which may
are be performable in the presence of others. Actions there are which though
performed in the presence of others which are to them subjects of complete indifference
and therefore come not under the control either of extra-regarding prudence, – or
benevolence, – and, it comes When an act is wholly in offensive to others it
comes under the dominion of the physical or pathological sanction, – when
it is, or may be offensive, the retributive, – the popular or moral & the
political, including the legal may have application to it.
But of the acts that are not knowable, – or at least non known in
themselves may be knowable, or known by their consequences, – & those
consequences may be immaterial, – or material.
If an act is unknown & unattended with material consequences, it belongs
to the province of taste & not to that of morality. A man is perfectly free
to perform it or not, – & whatever part he takes he cannot do amiss. An
apple being before them, – & he, subject to no danger from indigestion, may eat
it, or not eat it – eat it with his right hand or his left hand; – an apple or a
pear being before him he may eat the pear first, or the apple first – Deontology
has nothing to do with his conduct on the occasion.
But from when material consequences grow out of an action, the authority
of morality begins there may be two conflicting interests, – the interest of the
moment & the interest of the rest of life, this may have place the temptation and
the demand for sacrifice, – the sacrifice of the present to the contingent future
or of the contingent future to the present.
And then comes the question, – of the two sacrifices what is of the greatest
value. The apple we will suppose would have produced indigestion – But the
act of its the future influences will not be that indigestion will bring, is it wise to bring the present immediate
gratification of eating the apple? But and if there be no danger of indigestion
there is no call for sacrifice – the eating of the apple is a pleasure from
which no pain is to be deducted, – it is a clear result of good – but if there be
danger of indigestion, – then must the comparative values of the pain &
pleasures be estimated, – & according to the reputed balance will be the
demand for self-sacrifice.
Again – shall I have beef or mutton to day for dinner? The price is the same –
the act of cooking the same – is only a question of taste. But if suppose the price of the
mutton be dearer than of the beef, – & that my pecuniary circumstances are not make the
cost indifferent to me, – here is obviously room for the exercise of prudence; – or but suppose farther
my wife has a distaste fit of longing for the mutton in exclusion of the beef & that she is in circumstances
requiring peculiar regard to her desires, then prudence combines with benevolence even at the
expense of part of the next days meal in deciding favor of the mutton.
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Identifier: | JB/015/386/001 "JB/" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 15.
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sir john bowring |
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