 Bertrand Russell Quotes 366 |
Broadly speaking, one may say that the object of the moralist and of the politician should be to produce the greatest possible conformity of individual and general satisfaction, so that as far as may be the acts to which a man is prompted by pursuit of his own satisfaction are those which bring satisfaction to others.
Source： Bertrand Russell: Human Society in Ethics and Politics, (1954), chapter 13: Ethical Sanctions, n.6
More info.: https://russell-j.com/cool/47T-1306.htm
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Many may wonder why I have bothered to quote such a banal assertion. However, Russell always carefully examines the relationship between the individual and society, or between the individual and the state. Terms such as ‘the happiness of the whole’, ‘the happiness of the whole nation’ or ‘the public welfare’ are often used, especially by politicians. But beware. It is a matter of caution not only in socialist and totalitarian countries, but in capitalist countries as well. For Russell, satisfying both the ‘well-being of the whole people’ or ‘well-being of society as a whole’ and ‘individual satisfaction’ is of paramount importance in politics. Therefore, Russell rarely uses the term ‘happiness of the whole nation’ in an easy way.
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