“ No virtue can be conceived as prior to this endeavour to preserve one’s own being. ”
Bertrand Russell, A History of Western Philosophy (1945). copy citation
| Author | Bertrand Russell |
|---|---|
| Source | A History of Western Philosophy |
| Topic | virtue |
| Date | 1945 |
| Language | English |
| Reference | |
| Note | |
| Weblink | http://www.ntslibrary.com/PDF%20Books/History%20of%20Western%20Philosoph... |
Context
“Spinoza, like Socrates and Plato, believes that all wrong action is due to intellectual error: the man who adequately understands his own circumstances will act wisely, and will even be happy in the face of what to another would be misfortune. He makes no appeal to unselfishness; he holds that self-seeking, in some sense, and more particularly self-preservation, govern all human behaviour. No virtue can be conceived as prior to this endeavour to preserve one’s own being. “ The mind’s highest good is the knowledge of God, and the mind’s highest virtue is to know God. ” “ passions ” when they spring from inadequate ideas; passions in different men may conflict, but men who live in obedience to reason will agree together.”
source
