thoughts on man-第30部分

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ons　of　self…love；　we　shall　be　obliged　to　confess；　on　the　hypothesis　of　this　new　philosophy；　that　the　almighty　author　of　the　universe　never　acts　in　any　of　his　designs　either　of　creation　or　providence；　but　from　a　principle　of　self…love。　　In　the　mean　time；　if　this　is　not　strictly　an　argument；　it　is　however　but　fair　to　warn　the　adherents　of　the　doctrine　I　oppose；　of　the　consequences　to　which　their　theory　leads。　　It　is　my　purpose　to　subvert　that　doctrine　by　means　of　the　severest　demonstration；　but　I　am　not　unwilling；　before　I　begin；　to　conciliate；　as　far　as　may　be；　the　good…will　of　my　readers　to　the　propositions　I　proceed　to　establish。

I　will　therefore　further　venture　to　add；　that；　upon　the　hypothesis　of　self…love；　there　can　be　no　such　thing　as　virtue。　　There　are　two　circumstances　required；　to　entitle　an　action　to　be　denominated　virtuous。　　It　must　have　a　tendency　to　produce　good　rather　than　evil　to　the　race　of　man；　and　it　must　have　been　generated　by　an　intention　to　produce　such　good。　　The　most　beneficent　action　that　ever　was　performed；　if　it　did　not　spring　from　the　intention　of　good　to　others；　is　not　of　the　nature　of　virtue。　　Virtue；　where　it　exists　in　any　eminence；　is　a　species　of　conduct；　modelled　upon　a　true　estimate　of　the　good　intended　to　be　produced。　　He　that　makes　a　false　estimate；　and　prefers　a　trivial　and　partial　good　to　an　important　and　comprehensive　one；　is　vicious＇20＇。

＇20＇　Political　Justice；　Book　11；　Chap。　IV。


It　is　admitted　on　all　hands；　that　it　is　possible　for　a　man　to　sacrifice　his　own　existence　to　that　of　twenty　others。　　But　the　advocates　of　the　doctrine　of　self…love　must　say；　that　he　does　this　that　he　may　escape　from　uneasiness；　and　because　he　could　not　bear　to　encounter　the　inward　upbraiding　with　which　he　would　be　visited；　if　he　acted　otherwise。　　This　in　reality　would　change　his　action　from　an　act　of　virtue　to　an　act　of　vice。　　So　far　as　belongs　to　the　real　merits　of　the　case；　his　own　advantage　or　pleasure　is　a　very　insignificant　consideration；　and　the　benefit　to　be　produced；　suppose　to　a　world；　is　inestimable。　　Yet　he　falsely　and　unjustly　prefers　the　first；　and　views　the　latter　as　trivial；　nay；　separately　taken；　as　not　entitled　to　the　smallest　regard。　　If　the　dictates　of　impartial　justice　be　taken　into　the　account；　then；　according　to　the　system　of　self…love；　the　best　action　that　ever　was　performed；　may；　for　any　thing　we　know；　have　been　the　action；　in　the　whole　world；　of　the　most　exquisite　and　deliberate　injustice。　　Nay；　it　could　not　have　been　otherwise；　since　it　produced　the　greatest　good；　and　therefore　was　the　individual　instance；　in　which　the　greatest　good　was　most　directly　postponed　to　personal　gratification＇21＇。　　Such　is　the　spirit　of　the　doctrine　I　undertake　to　refute。

＇21＇　Political　Justice；　Book　IV；　Chap。　X。


But　man　is　not　in　truth　so　poor　and　pusillanimous　a　creature　as　this　system　would　represent。

It　is　time　however　to　proceed　to　the　real　merits　of　the　question；　to　examine　what　in　fact　is　the　motive　which　induces　a　good　man　to　elect　a　generous　mode　of　proceeding。

Locke　is　the　philosopher；　who；　in　writing　on　Human　Understanding；　has　specially　delivered　the　doctrine；　that　uneasiness　is　the　cause　which　determines　the　will；　and　urges　us　to　act。　　He　says＇22＇；　〃The　motive　we　have　for　continuing　in　the　same　state；　is　only　the　present　satisfaction　we　feel　in　it；　the　motive　to　change　is　always　some　uneasiness：　　nothing　setting　us　upon　the　change　of　state；　or　upon　any　new　action；　but　some　uneasiness。　　This　is　the　great　motive　that　works　on　the　mind。〃

＇22＇　Book　II；　Chap。　XXI；　Sect。　29。


It　is　not　my　concern　to　enquire；　whether　Locke　by　this　statement　meant　to　assert　that　self…love　is　the　only　principle　of　human　action。　　It　has　at　any　rate　been　taken　to　express　the　doctrine　which　I　here　propose　to　refute。

And；　in　the　first　place；　I　say；　that；　if　our　business　is　to　discover　the　consideration　entertained　by　the　mind　which　induces　us　to　act；　this　tells　us　nothing。　　It　is　like　the　case　of　the　Indian　philosopher＇23＇；　who；　being　asked　what　it　was　that　kept　the　earth　in　its　place；　answered；　that　it　was　supported　by　an　elephant；　and　that　elephant　again　rested　on　a　tortoise。　　He　must　be　endowed　with　a　slender　portion　of　curiosity；　who；　being　told　that　uneasiness　is　that　which　spurs　on　the　mind　to　act；　shall　rest　satisfied　with　this　explanation；　and　does　not　proceed　to　enquire；　what　makes　us　uneasy？

＇23＇　Locke　on　Understanding；　Book　11；　Chap。　XIII；　Sect。　19。


An　explanation　like　this　is　no　more　instructive；　than　it　would　be；　if；　when　we　saw　a　man　walking；　or　grasping　a　sword　or　a　bludgeon；　and　we　enquired　into　the　cause　of　this　phenomenon；　any　one　should　inform　us　that　he　walks；　because　he　has　feet；　and　he　grasps；　because　he　has　hands。

I　could　not　commodiously　give　to　my　thoughts　their　present　form；　unless　I　had　been　previously　furnished　with　pens　and　paper。　　But　it　would　be　absurd　to　say；　that　my　being　furnished　with　pens　and　paper；　is　the　cause　of　my　writing　this　Essay　on　Self…love　and　Benevolence。

The　advocates　of　self…love　have；　very　inartificially　and　unjustly；　substituted　the　abstract　definition　of　a　voluntary　agent；　and　made　that　stand　for　the　motive　by　which　he　is　prompted　to　act。　　It　is　true；　that　we　cannot　act　without　the　impulse　of　desire　or　uneasiness；　but　we　do　not　think　of　that　desire　and　uneasiness；　and　it　is　the　thing　upon　which　the　mind　is　fixed　that　constitutes　our　motive。　　In　the　boundless　variety　of　the　acts；　passions　and　pursuits　of　human　beings；　it　is　absurd　on　the　face　of　it　to　say　that　we　are　all　governed　by　one　motive；　and　that；　however　dissimilar　are　the　ends　we　pursue；　all　this　dissimilarity　is　the　fruit　of　a　single　cause。

One　man　chooses　travelling；　another　ambition；　a　third　study；　a　fourth　voluptuousness　and　a　mistress。　　Why　do　these　men　take　so　different　courses？

Because　one　is　partial　to　new　scenes；　new　buildings；　new　manners；　and　the　study　of　character。　　Because　a　second　is　attracted　by　the　contemplation　of　wealth　and　power。　　Because　a　third　feels　a　decided　preference　for　the　works　of　Homer；　or　Shakespear；　or　Bacon；　or　Euclid。　　Because　a　fourth　finds　nothing　calculated　to　stir　his　mind　in　comparison　with　female　beauty；　female　allurements；　or　expensive　living。

Each　of　these　finds　the　qualities　he　likes；　intrinsically　in　the　thing　he　chooses。　　One　man　feels　himself　strongly　moved；　and　raised　to　extacy；　by　the　beauties　of　nature；　or　the　magnificence　of　architecture。　　Another　is　ravished　with　the　divine　excellencies　of　Homer；　or　of　some　other　of　the　heroes　of　literature。　　A　third　finds　nothing　delights　him　so　much　as　the　happiness　of　others；　the　beholding　that　happiness　increased；　and　seeing　pain　and　oppression　and　sorrow　put　to　flight。　　The　cause　of　these　differences　is；　that　each　man　has　an　individual　internal　structure；　directing　his　partialities；　one　man　to　one　thing；　and　another　to　another。

Few　things　can　exceed　the　characters　of　human　beings　in　variety。　　There　must　be　something　abstractedly　in　the　nature　of　mind；　which　renders　it　accessible　to　these　varieties。　　For　the　present　we　will　call　it　taste。　　One　man　feels　his　spirits　regaled　　with　the　sight　of　those　things　which　constitute　wealth；　another　in　meditating　the　triumphs　of　Alexander　or　Caesar；　and　a　third　in　viewing　the　galleries　of　the　Louvre。　　Not　one　of　these　thinks　in　the　outset　of　appropriating　these　objects　to　himself；　not　one　of　them　begins　with　aspiring　to　be　the　possessor　of　vast　opulence；　or　emulating　the　triumphs　of　Caesar；　or　obtaining　in　property　the　pictures　and　statues　the　sight　of　which　affords　him　so　exquisite　delight。　　Even　the　admirer　of　female　beauty；　does　not　at　first　think　of　converting　this　attractive　object　into　a　mistress；　but　on　the　contrary　desires；　like　Pygmalion；　that　the　figure　he　beholds　might　become　his　solace　and　companion；　because　he　had　previously　admired　it　for　itself。

Just　so　the　benevolent　man　is　an　individual　who　finds　a　peculiar　delight　in　contemplating　the　contentment；　the　peace　and　heart's　ease　of　other　men；　and　sympathises　in　no　ordinary　degree　with　their　sufferings。　　He　rejoices　in　the　existence　and　diffusion　of　human　happiness；　though　he　should　not　have　had　the　smallest　share　in　giving　birth　to　the　thing　he　loves。　　It　is　because　such　are　his　tastes；　and　what　above　all　things　he　prefers；　that　he　afterwards　becomes　distinguished　by　the　benevolence　of　his　conduct。

The　reflex　act　of　the　mind；　which　these　new　philosophers　put　forward　as　the　solution　of　all　human　pursuits；　rarely　presents　itself　but　to　the　speculative　enquirer　in　his　closet。　　The　savage　never　dreams　of　it。　　The　active　man；　engaged　in　the　busy　scenes　of　life；　thinks　little；　and　on　rare　occasions　of　himself；　but　much；　and　in　a　manner　for　ever；　of　the　objects　of　his　pursuit。

Some　men　are　uniform　in　their　character；　and　from　the　cradle　to　the　grave　prefer　the　same　objects　that　first　awakened　their　partialities。　　Other　men　are　inconsistent　and　given　to　change；　are　〃every　thing　by　starts；　and　nothing　long。〃　　Still　it　is　probable　that；　in　most　cases；　he　who　performs　an　act　of　benevolence；　feels　for　the　time　that　he　has　a　peculiar　delight　in　contemplating　the　good　of　his　fellow…man。

The　doctrine　of　the　modern　philosophers　on　this　point；　is　in　many　ways　imbecil　and　unsound。　　It　is　inauspicious　to　their　creed；　that　the　reflex　act　of　the　mind　is　purely　the　affair　of　experience。　　Why　did　the　liberal…minded　man　perform　his　first　act　of　benevolence？　　The　answer　of　these　persons　ought　to　be；　because　the　recollection　of　a　generous　deed　is　a　source　of　the　truest　delight。　　But　there　is　an　absurdity　on　the　face　of　this　solution。

We　do　not　experimentally　know　the　delight　which　attends　the　recollection　of　a　generous　deed；　till　a　generous　deed　has　been　performed　by　us。　　We　do　not　learn　these　things　from　books。　　And　least　of　all　is　this　solution　to　the　purpose；　when　the　business　is　to　find　a　solution　that　suits　the　human　mind　universally；　the　unlearned　as　well　as　the　learned；　the　savage　as　well　as　the　sage。

And　surely　it　is　inconsistent　with　all　sound　reasoning；　to　represent　that　as　the　sole　spring　of　our　benevolent　actions；　which　by　the　very　terms　will　not　fit　the　first　benevolent　act　in　which　any　man　engaged。

The　advocates　of　the　doctrine　of　〃self…love　the　source　of　all　our　actions；〃　are　st