13 Jan y 1817

Necessity Cat

1 Theory

§.4. Probity how securable

4

Q. 4. True: and that he should on any occasion deviate into any such sinister course, is consequently in the eyes of every one by whom the end in question is regarded as the sole proper end, altogether undesirable. But into this /any /no/ such/ sinister course he will never /will he ever/ deviate, unless where and in so far as, compared with his share in the universal interest, this self-regarding this personal and this separate and this sinister {his} interest is the strongest: - think you that he will?

A. No: but unfortunately on many not to say most occasions such will be the case. The separate interest it is all his own, the universal interest he has millions upon millions of individuals /human beings/ to share with him in: the more concentrated will always overpower /overbear/ and predominate over the more diluted interest. His own personal interest is interest in its most di[?] concentrated state: the universal interest in what is here the object then comes in competition with his own individual personal interest his share in the universal interest - is interest in its most diluted state.

The case of this sort of public partnership is exactly, with no other difference than that which is constituted by /consists in/ the difference in numbers, exactly the same case as that of a private partnership. If by any line of conduct by which his share in the partnership concern /estate/ would sustain a loss to the amount of one hundred pound his separate estate would obtain a profit to the amount of two hundred pound, here you see is a manifest opposition between self-regarding interest and that branch of social duty between his personal interest and his share in the common interest - here is at any rate a temptation to sacrifice to interest that branch of social duty - here is a sinister interest which as between pecuniary interest on the one part and pecuniary interest on the other part is the more concentrated interest the stronger interest, and that by which as such setting aside any such tutelary interests, legal moral and religious as may happen to operate in his bosom with more or less force, can not but be the prevalent one, and that in such sort as that the line of his conduct shall be determined by it.