date

13 August 1804 Procedure False
13 August 1804

Procedure

False ends

Of men in general, in a certain sense it is true, that every man on every occasion is and will ever be governed by his own interest: in another sense it is not true.

Of every man it is true to say, that on each occasion he will be governed /his conduct will be determined/ if there be but one motive acting on him at a time, by the force of that one /sole/ operating motive: if there be several, and of these several two or more acting in opposite directions, by the unbalanced of the preponderative motive or set of motives. This is not in any respect less true of psychological action, than of physical: an action without a motive /in the one instance as in the other a motive/, is an effect without a cause.
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  • Title: [13 August 1804 Procedure False]
    Description: 13 August 1804

    Procedure

    False ends

    Of men in general in a ----- /another/ sense it is not true that every man on every occasion is and will be governed by his own interest: if it were true, on the one hand there would be no such quality as imprudence: on the other hand there would be no such quality as generosity, no such emotion as sympathy - no such emotion even as antipathy /not even as antipathy/.
  • Title: [13 August 1804 Procedure False]
    Description: 13 August 1804

    Procedure

    False ends

    As to might and might not - is there a or is there not any sense in which it is true that every man, on every occasion ought to pursue his own interest? The answer depends upon the meaning attached to the words ought and ought not. Upon the principle of utility, every man ought on every occasion every man ought to maintain /pursue/ that line of conduct which on his part is that most conducive to the aggregate interest of the community: every man ought not to pursue - ought to avoid pursuing - every other line. Ought he so to do? What more, what else can this mean, save that it is desirable that he should do so? Desirable in the eyes of every one who on the occasion in hand regards the interest of the community as his own. Ought he to do? Good - but will he? Can he? Most certainly if urged to forbear doing so by any actually predominant interests, well or ill /rightly or wrongly/ understood.

    ------- them of the actually /actual/ solely-operating or preponderant interest the application of the word ought or the words /its opposite/ ought not is alike /equally/ idle and improper. Suppressing action under the consideration of obligation - moral obligation - is of no use. He will do /a man will perform/ the act in question: the act being certain /------/ what additional certainty can it receive from its being his duty i.e. thought or said by others to be his duty to do /perform/ it? He will not do the act in question: this being certain, what effectual opposition can it receive from the circumstance of its being his duty to abstain from it?
  • Title: [13 August 1804 Procedure False]
    Description: 13 August 1804

    Procedure

    False ends

    Profit /-------/, consideration and care. If the last /-------/ in these several ------ /grounds/ ----- the greater to the visitor then the profit /acquisition/ //gain// ///------/// to the man of law, the arrangement would be would be no ------: an equal lover of mankind would see no reason to frame as much as a wish to alter it. If setting individual against individual, the suitor from one portion of the community, the less a person is formed by the lawyer. But in each of these several points the ------ on -- -- will be found prodigious /deliberately great/ //vast// in proportion to the benefit on the other.