![]() ![]() may say, he fed, he cloath’d, but when that which should feed and cloath, is to be parted with by himself, in that thing desired to be pardon’d but God not only wills, but in all actings with sensible beings promotes their happiness: consequently man must, if he would be acceptable to God, promote happiness whenever he has the opportunity. God wills that man always will happiness, and promote it as far as he is able. → Article on Susanna Newcome’s life and ideasĪ good being… is, one who wills and promotes the happiness of all mankind, as much as is in his power. On the contrary, they applaud it, calling it righteous. But when it comes to the great unrighteousness of attacking states, they do not know that they should condemn it. ![]() All the gentlemen of the world know that they should condemn these things, calling them unrighteous. Following this argument, the murder of ten persons will be ten times as unrighteous and there should be ten death penalties the murder of a hundred persons will be a hundred times as unrighteous and there should be a hundred death penalties. The murder of one person is called unrighteous and incurs one death penalty. The people of the world all not caring about each other, the strong inevitably oppress the weak, the wealthy inevitably humiliate the poor, the noble are inevitably contemptuous of the lowly, and the cunning inevitably deceive the ignorant. Thus the various lords not caring about each other, they inevitably go to war heads of clans not caring about each other, they inevitably subvert each other people not caring about each other, they inevitably injure each other rulers and subjects not caring about each other, they are not generous and loyal fathers and sons not caring about each other, they are not paternally kind and filially devoted elder and younger brothers not caring about each other, they are not peaceful and harmonious. Now that we have found out the consequences of universal love to be the major benefits of the world and the consequences of partiality to be the major calamities in the world this is the reason why Mozi said partiality is wrong and universality is right. ![]() And, as has already been said, the interest of the magnanimous lies in procuring benefits for the world and eliminating its calamities. Now, since universal love is the cause of the major benefits in the world, therefore Mozi proclaims universal love is right. If we should classify one by one all those who love others and benefit others, should we find them to be partial or universal? Of course we should say they are universal. We should say they have arisen out of love of others and benefiting others. When we come to think about the several benefits in regard to their cause, how have they arisen? Have they arisen out of hate of others and injuring others? Of course we should say no. The task of the benevolent is surely to diligently seek to promote the benefit of the world and eliminate harm to the world and to take this as a model throughout the world. In no case would he dare spare any effort, conceal any scheme, or withhold any benefit without pursuing them on behalf of the world. ![]() When he is in these situations, there are indeed cases when his strength is insufficient, his resources exhausted, or his knowledge lacking, and then he gives up. The benevolent person planning on behalf of the world is like this… If the world is poor, he undertakes to enrich it if the people are few, he undertakes to increase their number if the multitude is in disorder, he undertakes to put them in order. It is what gives peace to the rulers and sustenance to the people. Universal love is really the way of the sage-kings. This page seeks to highlight and clarify important utilitarian concepts by providing illuminating quotes that are either about utilitarianism or are written from a utilitarian perspective. ![]()
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