Feb 22, · Essay Review: A Dissertation on Liberty and Necessity, Pleasure and Pain Written by Benjamin Franklin in , this brilliant and ambitious essay outlines many logical truths I have also realized over the course of my life. It was literally enlightening to see so much of what I have intuited in the past put down in one place so concisely A Dissertation on Liberty and Necessity, Pleasure and Pain is a philosophical pamphlet by Benjamin Franklin, published in London in in response to The Religion of Nature Delineated. It argues that an omnipotent, benevolent God is incompatible with notions of human free will and morality This item: A Dissertation on Liberty and Necessity, Pleasure and Pain by Benjamin Franklin Paperback $ Available to ship in days. Ships from and sold by blogger.com Benjamin Franklin's Book of Virtues (Books of American Wisdom) by Benjamin Franklin 5/5(1)
A Dissertation on Liberty and Necessity, Pleasure and Pain - Wikipedia
I have here, according to your Request, given you my present Thoughts of the general State of Things in the Universe. I need not give you any Caution to distinguish the hypothetical Parts of the Argument from the conclusive: You will easily perceive what I design for Demonstration, and what for Probability only.
The whole I leave entirely to you, and shall value my self more or less on this account, in proportion to your Esteem and Approbation. There is said to be a First Moverwho is called GOD, Maker of the Universe. If He is all-powerful, there can be nothing either existing or acting in the Universe against or without his Consent; and what He consents to must be good, because He is good; therefore Evil doth not exist.
Unde Malum? but that these and the like are not in reality Evils, Ills, a dissertation on liberty and necessity pleasure and pain, or Defects in the Order of the Universe, is demonstrated in the next Section, as well as by this and the following Proposition. Indeed, to suppose any Thing to exist or be done, contrary to the Will of the Almighty, is to suppose him not almighty; or that Something the Cause of Evil is more mighty than the Almighty; an Inconsistence that I think no One will defend: And to deny any Thing or Action, which he consents to the existence of, to be good, is entirely to destroy his two Attributes of Wisdom and Goodness.
There is nothing done in the Universe, say the Philosophers, but what God either does, or permits to be done. This, as He is Almighty, is certainly true: But what need of this Distinction between doing and permitting? Why, first they take it for granted that many Things in the Universe exist in such a Manner as is not for the best, and that many Actions are done which ought not to be done, or would be better undone; these Things or Actions they cannot ascribe to God as His, because they have already attributed to Him infinite Wisdom and Goodness; Here then is the Use of the Word Permit ; He permits them to be done, say they.
But we will reason thus: If God permits an Action to be done, it is because he wants either Power or Inclination to hinder it; in saying he wants Powerwe deny Him to be almighty ; and if we say Hewants Inclination or Willit must be, either because He is not Good, or the Action is not evilfor all Evil is contrary to the Essence of infinite Goodness.
The former is inconsistent with his before-given Attribute of Goodness, therefore the latter must be true. It will be said, perhaps, that God permits evil Actions to be done, for wise Ends and Purposes. But this Objection destroys itself; for whatever an infinitely good God hath wise Ends in suffering to bemust be good, is thereby made good, and cannot be otherwise. If a Creature is made by God, it must depend upon God, and receive all its Power from Him; with which Power the Creature can do nothing contrary to the Will of God, because God is Almighty; what is not contrary to His Will, must be agreeable to it; what is agreeable to it, must be good, because He is Good; therefore a Creature can do nothing but what is good.
This Proposition is much to the same Purpose with the former, but more particular; and its Conclusion is as just and evident. Thus if A steals a Horse from Band rides away upon him, he uses him not as what he is in Truth, viz. But, as this Gentleman himself says, Sect. This is Truth likewise, and A acts according to it when he steals the Horse. If the Creature is thus limited in his Actions, being able to do only such Things as God would have him to do, and not being able to refuse doing what God would have done; then he can have no such Thing as Liberty, Free-will or Power to do or refrain an Action.
By Liberty is sometimes understood the Absence of Opposition; and in this Sense, indeed, all our Actions may be said to be the Effects of our Liberty: But it is a Liberty of the same Nature with the Fall of a heavy Body to the Ground; it has Liberty to fall, that is, it meets with nothing to hinder its Fall, but at the same Time it is necessitated to fall, and has no Power or Liberty to remain suspended, a dissertation on liberty and necessity pleasure and pain.
But let us take the Argument in another View, and suppose ourselves to be, a dissertation on liberty and necessity pleasure and pain, in the common sense of the Word, Free Agents. As Man is a Part of this great Machine, the Universe, his regular Acting is requisite to the regular moving of the whole. Now there is every Moment something best to be done, which is alone then goodand with respect to a dissertation on liberty and necessity pleasure and pain, every Thing else is at that Time evil.
In order to know which is best to be done, and which not, it is requisite that we should have at one View all the intricate Consequences of every Action with respect to the general Order and Scheme of the Universe, both present and future; but they are innumerable and incomprehensible by any Thing but Omniscience.
As we cannot know these, we have but as one Chance to ten thousand, to hit on the right Action; we should then be perpetually blundering about in the Dark, and putting the Scheme in Disorder; for every wrong Action of a Part, is a Defect or Blemish in the Order of the Whole. We cannot here find the least Defect!
All the heavenly Bodies, the Stars and Planets, are regulated with the utmost Wisdom! And can we suppose less Care to be taken in the Order of the moral than in the natural System? If there is no such Thing as Free-Will in Creatures, there can be neither Merit nor Demerit in Creatures. These Propositions appear to be the necessary Consequences of the former. It is this distinguishes Life and Consciousness from unactive unconscious Matter.
To know or be sensible of Suffering or being acted upon is to live ; and whatsoever is not so, among created Things, is properly and truly dead. The Soul must first be acted upon a dissertation on liberty and necessity pleasure and pain it can re-act. Thus is the Machine set on work; this is Life.
As fast as we have excluded one Uneasiness another appears, otherwise the Motion would cease. This Uneasiness, whenever felt, produces Desire to be freed from it, great in exact proportion to the Uneasiness.
Thus is Uneasiness the first Spring and Cause of all Action; for till we are uneasy in Rest, we can have no Desire to move, and without Desire of moving there can be no voluntary Motion. I might here observe, how necessary a Thing in the Order and Design of the Universe this Pain or A dissertation on liberty and necessity pleasure and pain is, and how beautiful in its Place!
What a different Appearance then would the Face of Nature make, without it! How necessary is it! I would likewise observe here, that the VIIIth Proposition in the preceding Section, viz. leaving the House. The fulfilling or Satisfaction of this Desire, produces the Sensation of Pleasure, great or small in exact proportion to the Desire.
Therefore the Sensation of Pleasure is equal, or in exact proportion to the Sensation of Pain. They go Hand in Hand; they cannot be divided. You have a View of the whole Argument in a few familiar Examples: The Pain of Abstinence from Food, as it is greater or less, produces a greater or less Desire of Eating, the Accomplishment of this Desire produces a greater or less Pleasure proportionate to it.
The Pain of Labour and Fatigue causes the Pleasure of Rest, equal to that Pain, a dissertation on liberty and necessity pleasure and pain. The Pain of Absence from Friends, produces the Pleasure of Meeting in exact proportion.
This is the fixt Nature of Pleasure and Pain, and will always be found to be so by those who examine it. Suppose ABand Cthree distinct Beings; A and Banimate, capable of Pleasure and PainC an inanimate Piece of Matter, insensible of either. What can be more equal and just than this? When the Accounts come to be adjusted, A has no Reason to complain that his Portion of Pleasure was five Degrees less than that of Bfor his Portion of Pain was five Degrees less likewise: Nor has B any Reason to boast that his Pleasure was five Degrees greater than that of Afor his Pain was proportionate: They are then both on the same Foot with Cthat is, they are neither Gainers nor Losers.
In short, we can judge by nothing but Appearances, and they are very apt to deceive us. These, with many others that might be given, are Reasons why we cannot make a true Estimate of the Equality of the Happiness and Unhappiness of others; and unless a dissertation on liberty and necessity pleasure and pain could, Matter of Fact cannot be opposed to this Hypothesis.
The Thing is intirely impossible a dissertation on liberty and necessity pleasure and pain Nature! Are not the Pleasures of the Spring made such by the Disagreeableness of the Winter? Is not the Pleasure of fair Weather owing to the Unpleasantness of foul?
The Accomplishment of a long and difficult Journey yields a great Pleasure ; but if we could take a Trip to the Moon and back again, as frequently and with as much Ease as we can go and come from Market, the Satisfaction would be just the same.
The Soul is a mere A dissertation on liberty and necessity pleasure and pain or Faculty of contemplating on, and comparing those Ideas when it has them; hence springs Reason: But as it can think on nothing but Ideas, it must have them before it can think at all. To remember a Thing, is to have the Idea of it still plainly imprinted on the Brain, which the Soul can turn to and contemplate on Occasion.
and even of all Things, because they are not in their Nature permanent; and often during Life we see that some Men, by an Accident or Distemper affecting the Brain, lose the greatest Part of their Ideas, and remember very little of their past Actions and Circumstances. And to cease to think is but little different from ceasing to be. I shall here subjoin a short Recapitulation of the Whole, that it may with all its Parts be comprehended at one View.
Thus both Parts of this Argument agree with and confirm one another, and the Demonstration is reciprocal. bring ourselves down to an Equality with the Beasts of the Field! with the meanest part of the Creation! Build your own document collection Login Become a Member of TAH. Add to Favorites. Joseph Duplessis. Benjamin Franklin, Oil on canvas.
Public domain, gift of the Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation to the National Portrait Gallery. Accession number NPG. Share: Share on Facebook Tweet Share on LinkedIn Send email. To Mr. SIR, I have here, according to your Request, given you my present Thoughts of the general State of Things in the Universe. Of Liberty and Necessity. He is said to be all-wise, all-good, all powerful. If He is all-good, whatsoever He doth must be good, a dissertation on liberty and necessity pleasure and pain.
If He is all-wise, whatsoever He doth must be wise. Of Pleasure and Pain. In consequence of His infinite Wisdom and Goodness, it is asserted, that whatever He doth must be infinitely wise and good ; Unless He be interrupted, and His Measures broken by some other Being, which is impossible because He is Almighty. In consequence of His infinite Power, it is asserted, that nothing can exist or be done in the Universe which is not agreeable to His Will, and therefore good.
Evil is hereby excluded, with all Merit and Demerit; and likewise all preference in the Esteem of God, of one Part of the Creation to another. This is the Summary of the first Part. This Pain produces Desire to be freed from it, in exact proportion to itself, a dissertation on liberty and necessity pleasure and pain.
The Accomplishment of this Desire produces an equal Pleasure. Pleasure is consequently equal to Pain. That Life is not preferable to Insensibility; for Pleasure and Pain destroy one another: That Being which has ten Degrees of Pain subtracted from ten of Pleasure, has nothing remaining, and is upon an equality with that Being which is insensible of both. Since every Action is the Effect of Self-Uneasiness, the Distinction of Virtue and Vice is excluded; and Prop.
in Sect. again demonstrated. No State of Life can be happier than the present, because Pleasure and Pain are inseparable. London, Go back to the main documents page. Related Content:.
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, time: 11:06A Dissertation On Liberty And Necessity, Pleasure And Pain by Benjamin Franklin
While in London, Franklin wrote A Dissertation on Liberty and Necessity, Pleasure and Pain (), a Deistical pamphlet inspired by his having set type for William Wollaston’s moral tract, The Religion of Nature Delineated. Franklin argued in his essay that since human beings have no A Dissertation on Liberty & Necessity,Pleasure & Painby Benjamin Franklin - A Dissertation on Liberty & Necessity, Pleasure & Pain. by Benjamin Franklin - This is Benjamin Franklin's first political pamphlet. It argues that humans are not morally responsible for their choices if God is all powerful because if He is all powerful and controlling, He is responsible for the acts of humans when A Dissertation On Liberty And Necessity, Pleasure And Pain by Benjamin Franklin Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. Start by marking “A Dissertation On Liberty And Necessity, Pleasure And Pain” as Want to Read/5
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