In fact, it is certain, that man is a social being, who in all things seeks his own happiness; that he does good when he finds it his interest; that he is not commonly bad, because that would be contrary to his welfare. This being premised, let education teach men to know the relations which exist among themselves, and the duties arising from those relations; let governments, calling to their aid laws, rewards, and punishments, confirm the lessons given by education; let happiness accompany useful and virtuous actions, let shame, contempt, and chastisement be the rewards of vice. Then would
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Exactly. People are all inherently selfish, but that doesn't mean others and society at large can't benefit; that also being in each individuals' self-interest.
Use the books of the natural world to teach; not holy scriptures. Use law, reward, and punishment to guide behavior; not fear of God. And, that will APPARENTLY lead to genuinely world wide happiness - happiness being the APPARENT goal of every one.
2 things:
1. This is just swapping faith in religion for faith in government. The incentive system is essentially still in place.
2. This assumes happiness is the goal, which I wouldn't actually challenge since it serves to be true more often than not - people wanna feel good
