Herbert SpencerSocial Statics.docx
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Herbert SpencerSocial Statics.docx
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HerbertSpencerSocialStatics
HerbertSpencer:
SocialStatics (excerpts)
Introduction
"Giveusaguide,"crymentothephilosopher."Wewouldescapefromthesemiseriesinwhichweareentangled.Abetterstateiseverpresenttoourimaginations,andweyearnafterit;butalloureffortstorealizeitarefruitless.Wearewearyofperpetualfailures;tellusbywhatrulewemayattainourdesire."
"Whateverisexpedientisright;"isoneofthelastofthemanyrepliestothisappeal.
"True,"rejoinsomeoftheapplicants."WiththeDeity right and expedient aredoubtlessconvertibleterms.Forus,however,thereremainsthequestion–whichistheantecedent,andwhichistheconsequent?
Grantingyourassumptionthat right istheunknownquantityand expediency theknownone,yourformulamaybeserviceable.Butwedenyyourpremises;apainfulexperiencehasprovedthetwotobeequallyindeterminate.Nay,webegintosuspectthatthe right isthemoreeasilyascertainedofthetwo;andthatyourmaximwouldbebetteriftransposedinto–whateverisrightisexpedient."
"Letyourrulebe,thegreatesthappinesstothegreatestnumber,"interposesanotherauthority.
"That,liketheother,isnoruleatall,"itisreplied;"butratheranenunciationoftheproblemtobesolved.Itisyour'greatesthappiness'ofwhichwehavebeensolongandsofruitlesslyinsearch;albeitwenevergaveitaname.Youtellusnothingnew;youmerelygivewordstoourwant.Whatyoucallananswer,issimplyourownquestionturnedtherightsideup.Ifthisisyourphilosophyitissurelyempty,foritmerelyechoestheinterrogation."
"Havealittlepatience,"returnsthemoralist,"andIwillgiveyoumyopinionastothemodeofsecuringthisgreatesthappinesstothegreatestnumber."
"Thereagain,"exclaimtheobjectors,"youmistakeourrequirement.Wewantsomethingelsethanopinions.Wehavehadenoughofthem.Everyfutileschemeforthegeneralgoodhasbeenbasedonopinion;andwehavenoguaranteethatyourplanwillnotaddonetothelistoffailures.Haveyoudiscoveredameansofforminganinfalliblejudgment?
Ifnot,youare,foraughtwecanperceive,asmuchinthedarkasourselves.True,youhaveobtainedaclearerviewoftheendtobearrivedat;butconcerningtherouteleadingtoit,yourofferofan opinion provesthatyouknownothingmorecertainthanwedo.Wedemurtoyourmaximbecauseitisnotwhatwewanted–aguide;becauseitdictatesnosuremodeofsecuringthedesideratum;becauseitputsnovetouponamistakenpolicy;becauseitpermitsallactions–bad,asreadilyasgood–providedonlytheactors believe themconducivetotheprescribedend.Yourdoctrinesof'expediency'or'utility'or'generalgood'or'greatesthappinesstothegreatestnumber'affordnotasolitarycommandofapracticalcharacter.Letbutrulersthink,orprofesstothink,thattheirmeasureswillbenefitthecommunity,andyourphilosophystandsmuteinthepresenceofthemostegregiousfolly,ortheblackestmisconduct.Thiswillnotdoforus.Weseekasystemthatcanreturnadefiniteanswerwhenweask–'Isthisactgood?
'andnotlikeyours,reply–'Yes,ifitwillbenefityou.'Ifyoucanshowussuchanone–ifyoucangiveusanaxiomfromwhichwemaydevelopesuccessivepropositionsuntilwehavewithmathematicalcertaintysolvedallourdifficulties–wewillthankyou.Ifnot,wemustgoelsewhere."...
Happinesssignifiesagratifiedstateofallthefaculties.Thegratificationofafacultyisproducedbyitsexercise.Tobeagreeablethatexercisemustbeproportionatetothepowerofthefaculty;ifitisinsufficientdiscontentarises,anditsexcessproducesweariness.Hence,tohavecompletefelicityistohaveallthefacultiesexertedintheratiooftheirseveraldevelopments;andanidealarrangementofcircumstancescalculatedtosecurethisconstitutesthestandardof"greatesthappiness;"butthemindsofnotwoindividualscontainthesamecombinationofelements.Duplicatemenarenottobefound.Thereisineachadifferentbalanceofdesires.Thereforetheconditionsadaptedforthehighestenjoymentofone,wouldnotperfectlycompassthesameendforanyother.Andconsequentlythenotionofhappinessmustvarywiththedispositionandcharacter;thatis,mustvaryindefinitely.
Wherebywearealsoledtotheinevitableconclusionthatatrueconceptionofwhathumanlifeshouldbe,ispossibleonlytotheidealman.Wemaymakeapproximateestimates,butheonlyinwhomthecomponentfeelingsexistintheirnormalproportionsiscapableofaperfectaspiration.Andastheworldyetcontainsnonesuch,itfollowsthataspecificideaof"greatesthappiness"isforthepresentunattainable.Itisnotthentobewonderedat,ifPaleysandBenthamsmakevainattemptsatadefinition.Thequestioninvolvesoneofthosemysterieswhichmenareevertryingtopenetrateandeverfailing.ItistheinsolubleriddlewhichCare,Sphinx-like,putstoeachnewcomer,andindefaultofanswerdevourshim.AndasyetthereisnoŒdipus,noranysignofone....
Evenwerethefundamentalpropositionoftheexpediencysystemnotthusvitiatedbytheindefinitenessofitsterms,itwouldstillbevulnerable.Grantingforthesakeofargument,thatthedesideratum,"greatesthappiness,"isdulycomprehended,itsidentityandnatureagreeduponbyall,andthedirectioninwhichitliessatisfactorilysettled,thereyetremainstheunwarrantedassumptionthatitispossiblefortheself-guidedhumanjudgmenttodetermine,withsomethinglikeprecision,bywhatmethodsitmaybeachieved.Experiencedailyprovesthatjustthesameuncertaintywhichexistsrespectingthespecificendstobeobtained,existslikewiserespectingtherightmodeofattainingthemwhensupposedtobeknown.Intheirattemptstocompassoneafteranothertheseveralitemswhichgotomakeupthegrandtotal,"greatesthappiness,"menhavebeenanythingbutsuccessful;theirmostpromisingmeasureshavingcommonlyturnedoutthegreatestfailures.Letuslookatafewcases.
WhenitwasenactedinBavariathatnomarriageshouldbeallowedbetweenpartieswithoutcapital,unlesscertainauthoritiescould"seeareasonableprospectofthepartiesbeingabletoprovidefortheirchildren,"itwasdoubtlessintendedtoadvancethepublicwealbycheckingimprovidentunions,andredundantpopulation;apurposemostpoliticianswillconsiderpraiseworthy,andaprovisionwhichmanywillthinkwelladaptedtosecureit.Neverthelessthisapparentlysagaciousmeasurehasbynomeansanswereditsend;thefactbeingthatinMunich,thecapitalofthekingdom,halfthebirthsareillegitimate!
Thosetoowereadmirablemotives,andverycogentreasons,whichledourgovernmenttoestablishanarmedforceonthecoastofAfricaforthesuppressionoftheslavetrade.Whatcouldbemoreessentialtothe"greatesthappiness"thantheannihilationoftheabominabletraffic?
Andhowcouldfortyshipsofwar,supportedbyanexpenditureof£700,000ayear,failtowhollyorpartiallyaccomplishthis?
Theresultshave,however,beenanythingbutsatisfactory.WhentheabolitionistsofEnglandadvocatedit,theylittlethoughtthatsuchameasureinsteadofpreventingwouldonly"aggravatethehorrors,withoutsensiblymitigatingtheextentofthetraffic;"thatitwouldgeneratefast-sailingslaverswithdecksonefootsixinchesapart,suffocationfromclosepacking,miserablediseases,andamortalityofthirty-fivepercent.Theydreamednotthatwhenhardpressedaslavermightthrowawholecargoof500negroesintothesea;northatonablockadedcoastthedisappointedchiefswould,asatGallinas,puttodeath200menandwomen,andsticktheirheadsonpoles,alongshore,insightofthesquadron.Inshort,theyneveranticipatedhavingtopleadastheynowdofortheabandonmentofcoercion....
Butwhyciteindividualcases?
Doesnottheexperienceofallnationstestifytothefutilityoftheseempiricalattemptsattheacquisitionofhappiness?
Whatisthestatute-bookbutarecordofsuchunhappyguesses?
orhistorybutanarrativeoftheirunsuccessfulissues?
Andwhatforwarderarewenow?
Isnotourgovernmentasbusystillasthoughtheworkoflaw-makingcommencedbutyesterday?
Hasitmadeanyapparentprogresstowardafinalsettlementofsocialarrangements?
Doesitnotrathereachyearentangleitselfstillfurtherintheweboflegislation,confoundingthealreadyheterogeneousmassofenactmentsintostillgreaterconfusion?
Nearlyeveryparliamentaryproceedingisatacitconfessionofincompetency.Thereisscarcelyabillintroducedbutisentitled"AnActtoamendanAct."The"Whereas"ofalmosteverypreambleheraldsanaccountofthemiscarriageofpreviouslegislation.Alteration,explanation,andrepeal,formthestapleemploymentofeverysession.Allourgreatagitationsarefortheabolitionofinstitutionspurportingtobeforthepublicgood.WitnessthosefortheremovaloftheTestandCorporationActs,forCatholicEmancipation,fortherepealoftheCornLaws;towhichmaynowbeadded,thatfortheseparationofChurchandState.Thehistoryofoneschemeisthehistoryofall.Firstcomesenactment,thenprobation,thenfailure;nextanamendmentandanotherfailure;and,aftermanyalternatetinkeringsandabortivetrials,arrivesatlengthrepeal,followedbythesubstitutionofsomefreshplan,doomedtorunthesamecourse,andsharealikefate.
Theexpediency-philosophy,however,ignoresthisworldfulloffacts.Thoughmenhavesoconstantlybeenbalkedintheirattemptstosecure,bylegislation,anydesiredconstituentofthatcomplexwhole,"greatesthappiness,"itneverthelesscontinuestoplaceconfidence
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