JB_161_267.xml

Title: [1818 Jan y 1 Not Paul III.]

Description: 1818 Jan y 1

Not Paul

III. Doctrine Asceticism

Ch. Asceticism

The pleasures of the table, it has been seen, so obstinately

do they adhere to life can not be struck out by the ascetic, because in that case

pains would be struck out /go out along with them/, pains which it is his object to

accumulate.

With the pleasures of the bed he finds himself more at liberty: they may be struck

out altogether /life may be cleared of them/. Take any individual whatever—deprive

him of all pleasure in this shape, life remains notwithstanding. To be sure if indeed

you were to go so far as to extend the proscription /extirpation/ to every individual

life would within a limited time be extirpated along with it: and thus pain the only

object which in his view is worth preserving the object to which in his eyes life is

indebted for all its value pain would likewise be at and end. Therefore to keep on

foot /the capacity/ so many receptacles of pain, human beings must be kept alive the

population must be kept up: and to the number of those in whose instance life is

purified of all pleasure in this shape, must be limited /limits must somehow or other

be set/.

But the number of breeders necessary to keep up the greatest number of non-breeders

being ascertained, then it is that the number of persons from whose existence

pleasure in this shape is excluded ought to be as great as possible. In the character

of /As being/ the best security for the accomplishment of so holy /desirable/ an

object, a physical cause of exclusion castration so it be early enough might seem

/present/ itself as preferable to /still more advantageous than/ any moral one. But

the inconvenience /here the objection/ is that along with the pleasures are excluded

certain pains—the pains of unsatisfied desire. Whereas when the means of exclusion

/recourse employed/ are /is/ confined to the use of moral means, the pleasures alone

are excluded the stock of pains remains pure and unadulterated.

JB_161_225.xml

Title: [1817 Dec r 14 Not Paul Ch.]

Description: 1817 Dec r 14

Not Paul

Ch. Asceticism

§.3. Senses Double function

§.2. Senses—their double function.

With more or less efficiency as in other animals, so the several senses minister

each of them to three distinguishable purposes viz. to preservation of existence, to

[...?] /exemption/ from pain, and to positive pleasure.

In regard to every other sense, but the sexual or as by some it is called the sixth

sense, by no follower of the religion of Jesus, unless it be in regard to meats under

the Catholic edition of it, has any such groundless absurdity been maintained, as

that under that religion it is a matter of general duty /generally incumbent

obligation/ to confine the application of them to both or to either or to both of

these three purposes.

On what defensible or intelligible ground can any reason be assigned why this sense

and this alone should be regarded as constituting an exception?

Setting aside pleasure /Pleasure apart/, of what value would existence be? What

interest would a man have in the preservation of it on what ground should it be

matter of duty in him to use any endeavours to preserve it? Except as a necessary

condition to the enjoyment of pleasure, of what value would mere exemption from pain

be, though it were to continue to all eternity even though the continuance of it were

eternal? On that supposition The condition of man would be what that of a stone

actually is.

But suppose no pleasure in any shape to have place in his existence pleasure being

out of the question suppose a man’s life to be passed in an alternation of pain and

apathy—exemption from pain—pain and apathy unmixed with pleasure. The condition of a

man compare it in that case with that of a stone? who would not rather be the

stone?

JB_161_270.xml

Title: [1818 Jan. 8 Not Paul III. Doctrine]

Description: 1818 Jan. 8

Not Paul

III. Doctrine

Ch. Asceticism

§. Sixth sense unequally singled out

§. Groundlessness of the war waged with such peculiar /particular/ asperity

against the pleasures of the bed.

In itself there is nothing in the sixth sense /In the sixth sense any more than in

any other, what can there be/ that should make the pleasures reaped from the use of

it /place /give/ the uses made of it/ any otherwise under the cognizance of morality

/a place in the field of morality/ /any of/ the uses made of it, in any other way and

on any other grounds than any other of the senses with the appetites respectively

belonging to them. The uses capable of being made of it without prejudice to

happiness and virtue will indeed have for their limits those traced out by the two

virtues abovementioned /which preside over the whole field of human thought and

action/ viz. self-regarding prudence and benevolence:—true, ad so will /have/ the

uses capable of being made of the several other senses.

The sight, the hearing, the smell, the taste take any one of these senses singly

only by ultra-asceticism has condemnation in any shape been passed upon the freest

use of it. Why?—because by no such use can /has/ any infringement /infraction/

/violation/ /transgression/ been made /offered/ any disobedience been /be/ manifested

to the dictates of virtue in either of those shapes.

If in any instance by the /any/ use made of any one of those senses the dictates of

virtue in either of those shapes were really seen to be violated /infringed/, in that

case /on that supposition/ here then there would be so much /a correspondent and

proportionate/ ground for the passing condemnation on the use made of those same

senses /that same use./ In the case of the pleasures of the table when enjoyed to

excess use is made of two of those sense taken /employed/ in conjunction viz. the

taste and the smell, together with that universally diffused sense which as yet seems

to without a name—that affection of the nervous system in general which is the seat

of pleasure in the case of intoxication: under which denomination or some other

should be included every sensation of the pleasurable kind capable of being produced

in the system by the application of any other substances in a /the/ liquid or

gasseous state to the stomach, or even to the organ of smell in the interior of the

nose as well as by fermented liquors.