Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation

Jeremy Bentham

Chapter 6, Footnote #07
Unsteadiness


The facility with which children grow tired of their play-things, and throw them away, is an instance of unsteadiness: the perseverance with which a merchant applies himself to his traffic, or an author to his book may be taken for an instance of the contrary. It is difficult to judge of the quantity of pleasure or pain in these cases, but from the effects which it produces in the character of a motive: and even then it is difficult to pronounce, whether the change of conduct happens by the extinction of the old pleasure or pain, or by the intervention of a new one.


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Ipml, Chapter 6 Of Circumstances Influencing Sensibility