 Bertrand Russell Quotes 366 |
Many philosophers have maintained that men always and invariably seek pleasure, and that even the apparently most altruistic acts have this end in view. This, I think, is a mistake. It is true, of course, that, whatever you may desire, you will get a certain pleasure when your object is achieved, but often the pleasure is due to the desire, not the desire to the expected pleasure. This applies especially to the simplest desires, such as hunger and thirst. Satisfying hunger or thirst is a pleasure, but the desire for food or drink is direct, and is not, except in a gourmet, a desire for the pleasure which they afford.
Source： Bertrand Russell: Human Society in Ethics and Politics, chapter 13: Ethical Sanctions, n.2
More info.: https://russell-j.com//cool/47T-1302.htm
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Quite often, a statement that seems reasonable at first glance can turn out to be incorrect when specific extreme examples are considered. One ability is to be able to come up with many examples. In Russell's case, he could give various examples from physics, chemistry and physiology as well as philosophy, mathematics and logic.
The above example of 'hunger and thirst' is a common sense matter, but sometimes philosophers and thinkers who lack worldly common sense fail to notice such common examples.
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