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1822 July 26
Constitut. Code
Should it be asked – what is the community which,
by the description of the community in question you have in
view –, my answer is – any community, which is as
much as to say every community whatsoever.
Should it be again be asked – why is it your desire
that that form of government should everywhere
that the greatest happiness of all the several members of the
place community in question that should be the end, to which
all the several arrangements employed in the determination of the
form of government by which that same community is governed
should be directed? my answer is – because, on the occasion
in question, such is the form the establishment of which
would in the highest degree be contributory to my own
greatest happiness.
Should it again be asked by any body man what proof
can you give of this? what reason cause can any other
person have for regarding it as probable believing that what you are thus saying
is conformable to truth – the only answer which on this occasion
would not be irrational, impertinent, egotistical, is
this. Behold for proof the labour it must can not but have cost me
to give expression to those several arrangements, and the
much greater labour which it can not but have cost
me to bring to view the several reasons which stand annexed
to them: reasons which have for their object the wanting
them the arrangement to be adopted and made law by the several persons
to whom in the several communities the power of determining
on every occasion what shall be taken for law and have the
force of law depends: viz. by showing that they in each part of the subject, they are in a
higher degree conducive to that end than any others that could be proposed.
☞ Here, or further on, in a Note answer what says about
dogmatism.
Identifier: | JB/036/082/001 "JB/" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 36.
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1822-07-26 |
6-8 |
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036 |
constitutional code |
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082 |
constitut. code |
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001 |
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text sheet |
1 |
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recto |
b3 / e3 |
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jeremy bentham |
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11006 |
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