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INTRODUCTION. DIMENSIONS of HAPPINESS & MISERY in general.
Contradistinct to Happiness, and susceptible of the same dimensions is unhappiness or misery suffering or pain -
As Pleasure is to Happiness, so is Pain to Misery.
Uneasiness is Pain is either 1st mental. 2d. bodily.
Bodily Mental pain is needs can bring a simple Idea to neither to be defined nor divided nor can it's origin be assigned but it is felt.
Mental pain arises either 1st from the consciousness of a past loss of the In
Instruments of Happiness, and is then called in general or more particularly, mortification uneasiness concern &c according to those several modes or degrees of it which are not distinguished separated from each other by any very precise boundaries Grief — or 2dly from an apprehension
of a future loss of those Instruments, and as then may be called anxiety: being Terror in a less degree. or 3dly from app
apprehension of future bodily pain: in both these last cases Fear, Anxiety or dread, Terror, alarm and is then called Terror, apprehension Here we may observe that unsteadiness of language, peculiarly adverse to moral subjects. a of these terms to express an Idea can be read for a to the exclusion of the rest ['It is not practicable'.] I would not permitt to we can not maintain uniformity of appellation nomenclature and the precision (which depends upon it by adhering constantly to one term. Happiness itself is too strong an one. Unhappiness is sometimes too strong — Pain is apt to be confined to bodily alone. We must therefore use all these appellations therefore, together with mischief inconvenience &c in the several places that respectively suit theirs, taking the precaution that to declare we mean them as differing in good in magnitude in degree in number but not in kind The happiness satisfaction of tasting Sugar or scratching where it itches is a real happiness as real tho not so great as that of saving the life of a Friend, or taking possession of an estate. Just as a Farthing is as much money as is a Guinea is
Unhappiness in Society may accrue directly as above or indirectly by counteracting the operation of instr
Laws
But Happiness and Unhappiness in their ordinary acceptation both indicate something
positive; nor is the bare substraction negation of Happiness the former one understood as precisely synonymous or with
the position of the latter other. Just as the adding of a sum to one side of an account of subst substracting
unhappiness it from the other are not nor precisely the same operation, tho' as to the Ballance they have the same effect
In order therefore to indicate indifferently on the one hand Happiness added or Unhappiness denied: substracted on
the other Unhappiness added or Happiness denied substracted we shall may make choice for the first,
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purpose of Benefit advantage utility convenience and what other terms may be formed stand as synonymous to them
in the several contexts where they are employ'd: ..........
for the second, of Mischief inconvenience & what other terms may be in like manner stand
as synonymous to these — And this is nothing more than the sense in which these times
are ordinarily employ'd.
Thus if I see a rich man going about to send a loaf of Bread couple of loaves to to a Beggar; Poor Man & I took
away half of it: one of them the Beggar knowing nothing of the matter: I may be said truly Here it sounds harsh to say that I have caused
him an unhappiness, but I may be truly said to have done him a mischief
So if I see a strong man about to give to a weak man a certain number of lashes
with a certain rod, rod with wire on it & I take away half the twigs in it: out the wire the weak man knowing nothing of the matter here it sounds harsh to say I
procured him an happiness, but I may be truly said to have done him a benefit.
There are an infinity of remarks which might be made it might be necessary to make respecting this nomenclature to an answer
cavils, but which till cavills offer'd, may be spared.
INTROD. CH. II. Dimensions of Happiness. [BR][6]
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