Then fear and a
host of other prudential considerations appear. The lowest of these
tend purely to the gratification of the senses or to the avoidance
of bodily discomfort. But they originate in the mind, and that is a
great gain. But the higher prudential considerations take into
account something higher than mere bodily comfort or discomfort.
Approbation and disapprobation are motives which weigh heavily with
the higher mammals. The lower prudential considerations are purely
selfish. The higher ones, which stimulate to action for
fellow-animals or men, show at least the dawn of unselfishness. And
the altruistic motives, which stimulate to action for the happiness
and welfare of others, predominate in, and are characteristic of,
man. The human will is slowly rising above the dominance of
selfishness. With the dawn of the rational perception of truth,
right, and duty, the very highest motives begin to gain control.
And the will becomes more and more powerful as the motives become
higher. It is almost a mis-use of language to speak of the will of a
slave of appetite. He is governed by the body, not at all by the
mind.
The man who is governed by prudential considerations, and is always
asking, Will it pay? is the incarnation of fickleness, instability,
and feebleness. The apparent strength of the selfish will is usually
a hollow sham.
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