Elements of moral philosophy

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1826. Excerpt: ... being; or the punishment of injustice and cruelty? A little reflection will convince us that the latter was its original and proper object. That species of resentment, indeed, which we term instinctive, and which we possess in common with the inferior animals, is so sudden in its impulse, as sometimes to wreak itself on inanimate things, as if they had life and intelligence. For the moment, and before reflection comes to my aid, I regard the object of my resentment as capable of punishment. This may partly be accounted for by that prejudice of our early years which leads us to ascribe to the objects around us, the feelings of which we ourselves are conscious. Chapter VII. ON THE PASSIONS. There are certain lively emotions, which, from their greater vivacity, are called passions. Nearly all our affections may become lively emotions or passions, in consequence of a greater degree of ardour and intenseness; and in this state they have more power in influencing the thoughts and determinations of the mind; forcibly directing them into one channel, and presenting every object through the medium of their own colouring. The mind has less command over its perceptions and resolutions when under the dominion of passion; the voice of reason and of conscience is feebly heard, and the most beautiful or the most hateful object, is seen either as beautiful or hateful only as it happens to accord with the ruling emotion. When passion assumes its highest degree of violence, it acts like a temporary fit of insanity; trains of thought associated with the particular passion, and tending to increase its ardour, pass in rapid succession through the mind; and the man is hurried to the accomplishment of that which he knows will be the ground of shame and of self-crimination. Some...