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11
Indirect Legislation
Knowledge
The mischiefs of
too much knowledge
can only be obviated
by circulating
more
3. If any thing then is to be done with regard to
knowledge, it must be by not by diminishing the stock
of knowledge there is of it in a community, but by encreasing it.
Such is the nature of things: nor has innocence any
great reason to complain. The artifices of the ill-designing
are of no farther use avail any farther
than as they are unknown. In general The only advantage
which knavery can be sure of having over innocence is that
that which is obtained by the first inventor: publish
the nostrum, and you destroy its efficacy. As no
distinction of persons then can be made with any
advantage, all that the diligence of government has to observe
on this head is to include every body: and let instruction, like
the dew of heaven fall upon the just and upon
the unjust. By this means a sort of counter-knowledge
is set up in opposition to that knowledge
which but for such a check might be employ'd
to evil purposes: and those who might otherwise
be a prey to artifice are enabled to put themselves instructed to defend
themselves. upon their own defense.
It is by from the monopoly of knowledge and not
by the abundance of it that mischief has ensued been
done: break down the monopoly, and the mischief
is at end. A little learning confined to priests
made forgeries abundant: (a) (a) Refer here to books.
on it
the more extensive dissemination
of learning has enabled lawyers and men of letters
to baffle the contrivances artifices of priests. [Look into the
history
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Identifier: | JB/087/097/003"JB/" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 87. |
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not numbered |
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087 |
indirect legislation |
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097 |
indirect legislation |
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003 |
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text sheet |
4 |
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recto |
f9 / f10 / f11 / f12 |
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jeremy bentham |
[[watermarks::gr [crown motif] [britannia with shield motif]]] |
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27622 |
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