THREE:Hence both in the state of extreme political liberty and in that of extreme political subjection the ideas of honour disappear or get perfectly confused with others. For in the former the despotism of the laws renders the pursuit of the favour of others of no avail; and in the latter state the despotism of men, by destroying civil existence, reduces everybody to a precarious and temporary personality. Honour, therefore, is one of the fundamental principles of those monarchies that are a mitigated form of despotism, being to them what revolutions are to despotic States, namely, a momentary return to the state of nature, and a reminder to the chief ruler of the condition of primitive equality.This truth is, in fact, felt, though in a confused way, by the very persons who place themselves farthest from it. For a confession made under torture is of no avail unless it be confirmed by an oath made after it; and yet, should the criminal not confirm his confession, he is tortured afresh. Some doctors of law and some nations only allow this infamous begging of the question to be employed three times; whilst other nations and other doctors leave it to the discretion of the judge.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit.
Read Details
THREE:Whosoever will read with a philosophical eye the codes and annals of different nations will find almost always that the names of virtue and vice, of good citizen and criminal, are changed in the course of ages, not in accordance with the changes that occur in the circumstances of a country, and consequently in conformity with the general interest, but in accordance with the passions and errors that have swayed different legislators in succession. He will observe full often, that the passions of one age form the basis of the morality of later ones; that strong passions, the offspring of fanaticism and enthusiasm, weakened and, so to speak, gnawed away by time (which reduces to a level all physical and moral phenomena) become little by little the prudence of the age, and a useful[204] instrument in the hand of the strong man and the clever. In this way the vaguest notions of honour and virtue have been produced; for they change with the changes of time, which causes names to survive things; as also with the changes of rivers and mountains, which form frequently the boundaries of moral no less than of physical geography.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit.
Read DetailsLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Curabitur nec nisl odio. Mauris vehicula at nunc id posuere. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit.
Read DetailsLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Curabitur nec nisl odio. Mauris vehicula at nunc id posuere. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit.
Read DetailsLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Curabitur nec nisl odio. Mauris vehicula at nunc id posuere. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit.
Read DetailsLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Curabitur nec nisl odio. Mauris vehicula at nunc id posuere. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Curabitur nec nisl odio. Mauris vehicula at nunc id posuere.