The Influences and Authority of Conscience

⁴³ The approbation of man’s own conscience can content his own weaknesses only during some extraordinary occasions.

The impartial spectator alone cannot always support him. But its authority is always very great.

It is only by consulting this judge within that we can ever:

• see what relates to ourselves in its proper dimensions, or
• properly compare between our own interests and those of others.

The Eye of the Impartial Spectator

⁴⁴ The eye sees the size of objects depending on how close or far they are.

I see woods and distant mountains that seem small from a distance.

• A man who knows the science of vision also knows that those small distant objects are really very big.
• I can know this by transporting myself in fancy to those objects to see their real proportions
• Habit and experience have taught me to do this so easily without me knowing it.

So do objects appear to the mind’s natural eye. We remedy the defects of both these organs in the same way.

⁴⁵ In the same way:

• our own very small interest appears more important to us due to the selfishness of human nature
• the interest of another man is not of the same importance as ours

To compare those 2 opposite interests, we must change our position.

We must view them from the eyes of an impartial third person.

⁴⁶ Imagine that China were suddenly swallowed up by an earthquake.

A European man of humanity would express his sorrow very strongly for the misfortune of the Chinese.

He would make many sad reflections on the precariousness of human life.

When all this fine philosophy was over, he would go on his way.

He would sleep with the same ease as if no such accident had happened.

The most frivolous disaster might happen to him and create a real disturbance.

But if he knew he would lose his little finger tomorrow, he would not be able to sleep tonight.

Would a man of humanity be willing to sacrifice the lives of millions who he had never seen, just to prevent him losing his finger?

Human nature is horrified at the thought.

In its greatest depravity and corruption, the world never produced such a villain that could entertain it. But what makes this difference?

When our passive feelings are almost always so sordid and selfish, why are our active principles often so generous and noble?

We are always so much more deeply affected by whatever concerns ourselves, than by whatever concerns others.

What always prompts the generous, and the mean on many occasions, to sacrifice their own interests for the greater interests of others?

It is not the soft power of humanity.

The power of humanity is the feeble spark of benevolence which Nature has lit in the human heart.

It can counteract the strongest impulses of self-love.

It is a stronger power. It is a more forceful motive which exerts itself on such occasions.

It is reason, principle, conscience the inhabitant of the breast, the man within, the great judge and arbiter of our conduct.

He calls to us with a voice which astonishes our most presumptuous passions, whenever we are about to affect the happiness of others.

It tells us:

• that we are but one of the multitude, no better than any other in it, and
• that when we prefer ourselves so shamefully and so blindly to others, we become the proper objects of resentment, abhorrence, and swearing.

It is only by this impartial spectator’s eye that:

• we learn the real littleness of ourselves, and of whatever relates to ourselves.
• the natural misrepresentations of self-love can be corrected.

He shows us:

• the propriety of generosity,
• the deformity of injustice,
• the propriety of resigning our greatest interests for the greater interests of others, and
• the deformity of doing the smallest injury to another to obtain the greatest benefit to ourselves.

We are prompted many times to practice those divine virtues not from the love of our neighbour nor the love of mankind.

It is a stronger love, a more powerful affection, which generally takes place on such occasions: The love of what is honourable and noble, of the grandeur, and dignity, and superiority of our own characters.