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.M o R A L PHI L O S O P H Y.
tnd. ob.tained or to be ob.ainecl by .hem ; .hen is reafoo
.or reB~aioD, which pcrccives' thar aptituo.e or connee–
tion, ,he proper jtHJge of moral oblig:uion; and on (his
fuppofitiOD it may be defined. II the conncélion bctween the
affcélioD aod the end , or bctween tbe ¡(tion and the mo–
"tive .; " for (he cnd is [he -motive, or the final cauCe; BDd
the afTeétion is the Olétion, or ¡ts immediate natural cauCe.–
A mao. from mere felf· love. may be induced '0 ful61.hat
obligatioD which is fOlloded 00 the conDeétion betwc;en the
<icfcnfive paffions and their cnds, or lhé pi ¡,ate pi\flioos
aDd their ends; becaufc. in that cafe-, his QWD iote·
rert will promp' him 'o indulge .hem in ,he due propor–
tion requircd. Bu, if he ha. no affetlion. which poin,
beyond himfelf, 00 priociple bu. felf·love or fome fub"e
modi6ca,ion of i" wha, !hall ioterell him in .he happinef.
of others, where t'teTe is no conneltion between it Olod
bis owo? or wha. fegfe cao he have of moral obligation
to promote it? UpOD this fcheme therefore, without pu–
blick or focial afFeltioDs tlH~re could be no motlve, aod
'confequently' no moral obligation, to a bene6cent dlGme–
rened eood"f!.
Burif Ihe mere connelt.i"oD betweeD cenaio paITions, or
a certaio order of paffioD', and certain eods, is whar
conflitufes or gives us the idea of moral obligarion; lhen
why may oo, ,be appofi,eoef. of aoy .emper or eondutl,
nay, of any pieee of machinery, to obuio it! enff, form
an equilly nritl mor~1 obliga,ioo? For ,he eonnetlioo
and aptilude are a. Ilrong and invariable in the latter
¡ñnances as in the former. But as this is confoundiDg
(be' rooll obvious difFereoces of things. we mu(l trace
lhe idea of moral obligatioA 'o another and a more oa,n–
ral fource.
Let us appeal therefore to reore and expericnce, ce how
"'e (land affellcd tu ,hofe differen, fets. of paflions in Ihe
jl11l meafure and balance of which we found a righ••em·
per to confin." For this is entirely a mateer of expe·
rience, in which we mü{l examine, as in any other natural
inquiry, ., what are the genuine feeliogs and operatioDs
of "ature, and what affeaíons or fymptoms of thenl ap
pear in the given ¡nHance. JI
The defeníive paffions, as ang~r and fe:;¡r, give USI ra·
ther pain Ihan plearure j' yet we cannot hel? rc::eling tllt:rn
wheo provoked by injury or expofed '0 harm. We
aCCOQnt rhe creature imperfelt that wanls them, bccaufe
\heyare neceffary'o hi. derence. Nay, we !hould in
fome mearure condemn ourfelves, did we waDt the ."eeer:
fary degr~e of re(eotment and caution. But ir our reCent ·
h1enr exceeds lile wrong received, or our caudon the e·
"il drtaded, we .hen brame ourfelves for haviog overo
,ét~d our parto Therefort', while we are in d~nger. to
be .otally delli,•• e of .hem Wt reckon a bl"m"bled: fec'!,
and to fed them in a jun, i t nccc.drtITy D1eafur~, we ap–
prove, as ruited ro the nature tl nd cond it:on of (uch ¡
creature;¡s ffi;:!.n. Bur, our (ecority obtai nc:d, fa continue
ro inrlulge them. we nal only difal'plon: a9 hunful, but
condemn as unmanly, unl:>ccomin;! . ann Olc:::tn·{pi_ireo :
Nor will lueh a eonoué• •fford any felf·approving joy,
whcn we coolly retl~él uj>on il.
Wirh rer.ard to the private paRioos, Tu ..h 3 3, love of
Jife, pleafure, tare, and the )Ike; a5 rheCt aim at private
¡ood, aod are lO ,he pe,fttlioo aDd happinefs
of ,he individual, \Ve Ihould rcckon .ny crca.ure defee–
tive, and cven blameable, tha:: was de!lirute of them.
Thus, we condernn the m.n who imprudendy ruios hiSl
fonuDe, impairs his health, or ex poles his Jife; we no~
only pity him as 3n unfonune , but feel a kind
of mdral indignarion and eontempt of .hiQl.1 for having
made himfelf' fueh. On ,he o.her hand, ,hough a dif–
creer felf rcgard does nOl auna our eCl:cem and venera..
, ye~ we approvc of it in fome degree, iD an higher
a"d differeo. degree fro!TI wha, we would regird , well–
contrivcd machlDc as necelfary to cor.(litute a 6nifhed
cre.l[ur~, nay, tO complete the virtuous charaller, and as
ex.tlly fui,ed '0 our pr.feo. iodigen. Ilate. There are
fome. paITions rerpeé\:ing private good, towards which we
feel higher degrees o€ approba.ioo; as ,he love of koow–
ledge, ol.tlioD, of honour, aod ,he like. We e!leem
them as marks of an ingenious miad, an. caonot help
thiAkiog the charatler in whieb they are wantiog re..
malkably tlupid, and in fome degre< immor./.
Wirh regud to lhe focial affeétioos, al compaffion..
natural affc:c1ioo, fritndfhip, benevolence, and the like.
we ~pprove, admire, and love them in ourfelves, and in
aJl io whol1l wc d¡rcover them, with an e!leem and
approbatioo. if DO' differeo. in kind, ye, furely far
fuperior iD. degree to what we feel towards the other
pallion.. Thefe we reckon oecelfary, jutl, aod excelleo"y
fitted to our ftrulture and fl:atc; and the crcature which
\Vao" them we eJII defetlive, ill·eonni , a kiod of
abonion. Bu, .he publie affeélioos we erteem as felf–
wonhy, orlginally .od ...ern3l1y ami.ble .
But among the focial affc:8ions, we make an ob..-ious
and conlhnt diClioltion, tliz . between thore particular
paITioos, which urge us Wilh a fodden violence, and uo–
eafy kind of fenfatioo, 'o purrue ,he cood of .heir re–
fpetlive objetls, as pi,y, na.ural affetlion, .od .he like;.
and thofe cal", d.fpafliona.e .!fetlions and defi,e. whicb
prompl us more Headjly aDd uniform:y tO promote rhe
hap.pinefs of ". The form.. \Ve cener.lly call /,11[–
jionJ ; '0 diniogui!h .hem from .he olher fon, which co–
more _ornmonly by the "ame of ajf,t7ion/, or ca/m de–
jira. The fi,H kind we approve indeed, and ddigh. i'o;
bu. u'e fed Hill higha degrees of app,oba,ion aod moral
complacencc towards the Jan, aod towards all limitations.
of the particular ' inítin(ts, by the principie of univerfal
benevolc:nce. The more o:>jcdh the calm afft'élions rake
io, and t].e worthier thefe 4\re, their dignity rifes in pro–
portian, and wi th th is our ;¡¡ pprobation keeps an ex~ét
p;¡ee. A ch;¡¡raéter, on the orher hand, which is quite
divetled of .hefe publie affetlions. which feels no love
{or the (pecics, ~utl inCh:..td ofit . entenains maliee, fancour,
and ill.will, \Ve rc:ckon totally ¡mmoral ano unnaturaL
Such thcn tire the (c:ntiments and difpofilions we red,
when .hefe reveral orde,,' of .If<tlion pafs before .he
mentOl I t:ye .
Thert:fore, "that Hate in which we Ced ourfclves mo ..
'Ved, in the malloer abúve d, [cl ibed, lOwards thoCe afFec–
tions and pAffions, 3S lht:y come under the mind's re\'iew,
t\nd in which wt: ,ar~ inllan taneouíly. and indcpendeotly of
our choice or volitian, prompttd tOa correfpon~ent con–
duél, we caH a !late uf JliIoral obliga.tion ." L er us fup.
pofe, for ¡nnance, a Earen., a r,iend, a b<nef.tlor, re-
duced: