General Rules as Solution to Self-Deceit

⁹² Mankind’s views on the propriety of their own conduct are so partial, both:

• during the action and
• after the action.

It is so difficult for people to view it as how any indifferent spectator would consider it.

Man’s moral sense is a power of perception which distinguishes the beauty or deformity of passions and affections.

If a man judged his own conduct more immediately by this moral sense, then this moral sense would more accurately judge his conduct than the conduct of other men.

⁹³ The fatal weakness of people is their own self-deceit.

• Half the disorders of human life is caused by this.

If we saw ourselves as how others see us then we would unavoidably reform ourselves.

• We could not otherwise endure the sight.

Nature’s remedy for self-deceit are general rules.

⁹⁴ However, Nature has not left this important weakness without a remedy.

• She has not abandoned us entirely to the delusions of self-love.

Our observations on the conduct of others let us form in ourselves general rules on what to do or not to do.

Some of their actions shock all our natural sentiments.

This shock is confirmed when we hear everybody detest against those actions.

We resolve never to be guilty of those shocking actions.

We thus naturally lay down that general rule to ourselves.

On the contrary, we approve of good actions.

• We hear everybody express the same favourable opinion on them.

This makes us naturally:

• ambitious to perform the same good actions.
• lay down another rule to ourselves, that we should seek every opportunity of acting in that good way.

⁹⁵ Thus, the general rules of morality are formed.

They are ultimately founded on our the experience of moral faculties.

We do not originally approve or condemn particular actions.

Because upon examination, they appear to be agreeable or inconsistent with a certain general rule.

On the contrary, the general rule is formed when we find that certain kinds of actions are approved or disapproved of.

A person is murdered by the avarice and envy of someone he loved and trusts.

• The dying man complains more of his false friend ingratitude, than of the murder.

• A witness to this murder will immediately feel it as a very blamable action without thinking of what rule it violated.

• He might afterwards form the general rule against murder from his detestation

⁹⁶ When we read history or romance, we:

• admire the generous actions
• condemn the base ones

Neither of them arise from reflecting that there are certain general rules which declare:

• all generous actions admirable, and
• all base actions contemptible.

On the contrary, those general rules are all formed from our experience on the effects naturally produced on us by different kinds of actions.

⁹⁷ The following actions excite the following in us:

Action of Doer	Feeling in Observer
Amiable	Love
Respectable	Respect
Horrid	Horror

General rules determine which actions match those sentiments.*

Superphysics Note

We can think of this as Cartesian Relativity for morality and feelings for a personal soul-level

These rules can only be formed by observing what certain actions excite certain feelings.

⁹⁸ These general rules are formed and universally established by the concurring feelings of mankind.*

Superphysics Note

We can think of this as Cartesian Relativity for morality and feelings for an oversoul-level

When we debate on the morality of complicated actions, we turn to these general rules.

This has misled eminent authors to think that mankind’s moral judgments were formed like the decisions of a court of justice that is based on the general rule.

⁹⁹ When those general rules of conduct have been fixed in our mind by habitual reflection, they are very useful in correcting our moral judgements.

An egotistic resentful man might regard his enemy’s death as a small compensation for the wrong he has received.

But his observations on the conduct of others have taught him that such a revenge is horrible.

• This might make him abstain from revenge, as a rule.
• This rule renders him incapable of such a violence.

His own general rule:

• checks the impetuosity of his feelings, and
• corrects the partial views of his ego

His resentment against his enemy might become strong as to let him violate this general rule.

Before he actually acts out his revenge, he is tormented with doubt.

He is terrified of violating his own general rule.

Sometimes he resolves to adhere again to his general rule.

But immediately, the passion for revenge rouses anew.

Wearied and distracted with those continual irresolutions, from a sort of despair, he think of committing suicide.

Then he actually feels, what he had only foreseen very imperfectly before, the stings of remorse and repentance.