JB/015/579/001

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265

To this source – to this pretension of doing good to
others in spite of themselves may be traced the worst of religious
persecutions. They had their origin in a desire to benefit the
persecuted – to give them some chance of that eternal happiness, of
which their persistance in error was supposed wholly to deprives them. And
let it not be supposed that those misdeeds which have
flooded the world with misery are to be attributed to
malignant intentions. To do evil for its own sake is not in
the nature of man. The most horrible of offences – the most
devastating & murderous of crimes – if traced followed up to their
origin will be found only a distortion of the happiness
seeking principle – the creation of a misery intending
to prevent a greater misery – but mistaking its purpose &
miscalculating its means. And of such mistakes &
such miscalculations none has been more prolific than
the despotism of benevolent intention – a despotism
taking no account of the parties it subjects to its
influence – a despotism setting up its own standard for
other men's happiness. A man who on principle
pretends to be, – or is in reality a benefactor in
spite of or in opposition to him he intends to benefit – is among the
most maleficent of tyrants – beneficent or not
in purpose he is necessarily maleficent in effect.

Identifier: | JB/015/579/001"JB/" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 15.
Date_1		Marginal Summary Numbering
Box	015	Main Headings	deontology
Folio number	579	Info in main headings field
Image	001	Titles
Category	linking material	Number of Pages	1
Recto/Verso	recto	Page Numbering	f265
Penner	sir john bowring	Watermarks	hall
Marginals		Paper Producer	louis francois joseph le dieu
Corrections		Paper Produced in Year
Notes public		ID Number	5795
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