date

1822 March 24 Not Employed
1822 March 24

Not Employed

Rid Yourselves

Part 1

Letter 2. Interests

Next comes sinister interest

Of the greatest happiness of the greatest number such elements as are at the

disposal of government may be found the external instruments of felicity - all of

them objects of general and /not to say/ little less than universal desire. These

will be found comprisable under the one or other /another/ of the four following

appellations /denominations/ subsistence, abundance, security and equality: under

/by/ one or other of these appellations will the several external instruments of

felicity be found comprizable /designated/ subsistence and abundance have for their

common instrument the matter of wealth, in all its several shapes, differing from one

another no otherwise than in respect of the quantity of it: Person, reputation,

property and condition in life - under one or other of these appellations

/denominations/ may be found comprized all the several objects for which security as

/can be/ looked for at the hands of government: property being but another

appellation employed to designate the matter of wealth the matter of which wealth is

comprised: and reputation and property together with reputation and power: in such

quantity as is not adverse to the end confirmed /power in whatsoever shape and

quantity established/ of which the greatest happiness principle allows of so much as

contributes to the greatest happiness of the greatest number constituting whatsoever

is instrumental to felicity in the complex [...?] [...?] condition in life. /By/

Security in so far as it has place is meant the absence of damage: damage namely 1.

all theire several possessions: or else the efficient cause /whatever it be/ of such

absence damage has for its cause either firstly physical agency or human agency,-

[...?] to be [...?] must be but to be exclude the efficiency of all the several

causes of damage to these several possessions. These are either occurrences purely

physical, or human acts: acts which also considered in respect of such their cause

consequences are termed misdeeds. As to power on the one

part - power of one individual over another - it can not have place in any certain or

permanent footing but in proportion to subjection in the

other, for it is only by and in proportion to the subjection that the power is

constituted. Power in a certain quantity, even in the shape in which it is

constituted by subjection is necessary in the existence of a state of government: put

an end to all power, you put an end to government. But, the case of unmaturity of age

out of the question, as between any two persons are possessing power the other

/being/ subjection to that same power, the enjoyment derived from /resulting/

/produced by/ the possession and exercise of such power /on the one part/ is not

equal to the universal [...?] resulting from produced by the consciousness if the

subjection to it in the other part much
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    Letter 2. Interests

    and in the subjection of the power being in the instance of real possession supposed

    the same in this supposition the quantity of uneasiness will be greater and greater

    in proportion as the numbers of those under subjection to the power is great when

    compared with the number of them by whom the correspondent power is possessed. Hence

    it is that the greatest happiness of the greatest number requires that the quantity

    of power exercised /possessed/ to the least quantity that can have place consistently

    with the fulfilment of the end of government. As to misdeeds, the agents /misdoers/

    at whose hands damage to those several possessions or mass to be apprehended, are the

    possessions of the several parties of the aggregate /power possessors/ mass of the

    power exercised by the functionaries of government by these functionaries among who

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    on the part those ordinary misdoers who by the sharers in the power of government are

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    security causes it to be required by the greatest happiness of the greatest number is

    - that in so far as inequality has place, the enjoyment /good/ obtained by him who

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    so great, that if one man had for example a million of times the quantity quantity of

    the external instruments of felicity that another man has it might still be a

    question whether the felicity of the one were so much as [...?] so great as that of

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    19. The objects on the possession of which, in so far as depends upon the nature of the government the welfare of men, the greatest happiness of the greatest number - depends, may be included under the following denominations /heads/ following: to wit 1. Money, including the matter of subsistence, and the matter of wealth in all its other shapes. 2. power. 3. esteem and respect, to wit in the instances of each member of the community esteem and respect at the hands of others: these three, each of them being considered with reference to the time present /present day/ whatever it may be: 4. security to wit for all the future days in respect of the above three several possessions: {these objects being as above the instruments or efficient causes of happiness considered with relation to the present life, are of course[?] each of them the objects of general and almost universal desire.}

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