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Evaluation the practical consequences of which, if it were established
by a general accurate and comprehensive examination, would be
nothing less than the destruction of the human race. The quantity therefore of happiness
destroyed by the crime, should therefore seem to be, at first
view, to be, the suffering object's share, of happine the
total "total" referring to the nation Ballance of happiness above misery, during
the probable continuance of his life — but upon closer
examination, we shall perceive a fallacy in this method mode
of aestimation, the detection of which will shew that this
quantity ought also to be laid out of the account.
in this way of arguing we tacitly conceive the subject injured
of the to object as existing, contrary to the supposition; just as
Children and the Vulgar conceive without being aware
of it of dead bodies as alive, when they lament their
hard fate in being anatomized or burnt hung in chains, or even
"alium se" &c Lucretius. as in undergoing the common lot of being put thrust into a
The vulgar in Conduct and opinions who are accustomed to be governed by hasty starts of imagination dark hole in a Coffin wooden box with the worms preying upon to be preyed upon by worms & preyed upon by vermin
them — for existence, if I may be allowed the expression
is the necessary substratum for happiness or
but to misery. And if we permitt our speculations thus to
intrude venture into into the regions of non-existence, the argument
will equally require our imputing to the celibatarian the loss
of happiness sustained by the possible beings to which he
might have given birth. it will not be necessary to take much pains to prove, that for a man to feel it is necessary for him to be there is one difference indeed between
the two cases, consisting in the confused sentiment of
regret which the suffering person may be supposed to
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Identifier: | JB/096/220/002 "JB/" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 96.
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096 |
legislation |
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220 |
homicide of infants |
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002 |
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text sheet |
4 |
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recto |
c20 |
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jeremy bentham |
[[watermarks::[gr with crown motif] propatria [britannia motif]]] |
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31224 |
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