Star.
London, England, 1830-01-30 00:00:00

MR. OWEY.

4 . i• •

J• i..!

TO THE POLITICAL RCONdISISTS £R •
UTILITARIAWS. • • •
FcLkow-I.Abovitztts to TUE GAtqi. •iluisAbr
I>trßOvENnNT.—You have long °Peeped yourselves .
attempts, to elicit the principles on the practice of which
society is to be rendered wealthy and happy.
Upon these points, however, minim not yet satisfied
yourselves or others ; but your search for truth on thi.se
important subjects is, nevertheless continued, with un-
abated energy and interest.
That your pursuits are highly important and praise-
worthy, all must readily acknowledge ; yet, from causes
which may now be rendered obvious, you have hitherto
laboured in vain f for with much learning, great inge-
nuity, and extraordinary acuteness of certain intellectual
faculties, you have, through many words, made that.
which is plain and simple in itself a most involved and
perplexed theory, and unintelligible to those who desiro
to obtain knowledge from facts, and to apply that know-
ledge to practice for the general benefit of society.
One party desires that wealth may superabound ; and
the other that the greatest amount of happiness shall be
secured to the greatest number. The latter includes tho
former ; but the former does not necessarily include the
latter ; for there may be, and often is, a superfluity of
riches which tends to produce partial happiness only for
the few, and misery for the many.
The Utilitarians, therefore, aim at the highest ob)ect,
and at that which most deserves the attention of rationll
beings; for the investigation of the means by which to
produce the greatest amount of happiness for the greatest
number, is a subject which must ever deeply interest the
best and moat intelligent of the human race.
By taking a somewhat different view to that which
you have hitherto done, of the means by which wealth
and happiness are to be produced, it will now, perhaps,
be possible for you to discover how these may be obtained
and permanently secured to all ; for until all shall be-made
to possess them, it will be impracticable for the few per-
manently to enjoy either.
The direct road to the attainment of wealth and ha?.
piness is only to be found through a correct knowledge
of the fundamental laws of human nature ; of the con-
ditions which ore necessary for its happiness, of the best
means by which those conditions can be obtained, and
permanently secured to all.
The most important fundamental laws of human ns-
titre and the conditions essential to its happiness, are
annexed.

From a consideration of these laws and conditions in
connexion with each other, it is evident that there is but
one mode by which mankind can secure for thembelves 4
permanent sufficiency of wealth and a full enjoyment of
happiness. It consists in creating a new arrangement
of circumstances, which shall form for each individual 4
character so superior, physically, mentally, and morally,
that a due exercise of all his faculties alone, will Ix,
sufficient to obtain for him, in a rational state of eN-
istence, a full supply of those things which are essential
to the happiness of human nature. In a development of
the means by which this new arrangement of circum-
stances can be formed, a knowledge of the science of the
influence of circumstances will be found indispensable
for this science it is which explains the origin of good
and evil, and which exhibits the means by %bleb evil
may henceforward be extracted from human society, and
good alone retained.
For as the circumstances in which human patois
is placed are of a vicious or virtuous, or of a rational or
iffational character, so will be the general character of
all the population placed within those circumstances,
varied only in the' character of each individual by the
difference at birth in the organisation of each, united to
the difference of time and place when and whe.e the im-
pressions of those circumstances are received, and the
order and strength by which they are made to act upon
the individual.
A first Essay to direct the application of these prin-
ciples to practice has been made in an exposi, which her
been submitted to the consideration of the British Cabinet :
but perhaps your learning, ingenuity, acuteness, and
practical knowledge, may enable you to suggest a better
mode of applying these principles to practice, than
the outlines proposed in that expoof. la this case
you cannot perform a greater service to your fellow
beings, than by giving the result of that knowlete to
the public : sad, if it shall appear to be founded on
reason, and of a practical nature, no one will more sin-
cerely rejoice, or be more willing to aid, to the full extent •
of his abilities, in its reduction to practice, than
Your friend and servant,

ROBERT OWEN.

49, Bedford-sqsare, Jae 19. use.

FUNDAMENTAL LAWS OF HUMAN NATURE.
let. That human nature, in the aggregate, is a emu-
pound consisting of animal propensities, intellectual.
faculties, and moral qualities.
2nd. That thine propensities, faculties, and qualities,
are united in different proportions in each individual.
3rd. That this different* in the proportion of the same
general propensities, faculties, and qualities, constitutes
the original difference between one individual and another.
4th. That this difference in each, is made by a Power
unknown to the individual, and, therefore, without his
knowledge or newest. . • •..
• sth. Thateneb isdlekinal arms lob existence, within
aartain external eircumstemees, sad that these, &ming
Ow his peculiar original orgaaisadsa, during the trey
pseiod of his life, impress their genseal character open
bim; and that thus the local sod national character of '
each individual, is formed bider alively of himself.
6th. That the intuence of these general external .
munstanees, is modified in a particular manner, by the
podia, organisation of each individual ; and that thus,
the distjariiee character of each is formed and main-

Maid through life.
76. That no infant has the power of deciding at what
pariod of time, or in what part of the world he shall come
late existence ; of what parents he shall be born, is what
religion be shall be trained • or by win* mkt, r
'internal circumstances he shall be enr;ounded, from WWI
to death.
Bth. That each individual is so organised, that, mita
young, he may be made to receive ; either time Ass,
derived from * knowledge of fads; or to 'receive falm A
mama, derived from the imagination, unsupported
or in apposition to fame.
9th. That each individual is so organised, that its saw
aimularily Weans taational, when he is made
fancy to reeeiva, as truth' fah. notions; sal4 can,mity•
muimal, wins itnu ILii !we, ins WIMPS"
N arike

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