{Ideals and Motives [continued]}[17th June 1970]

[Redbook1:160-161][19700617:1800a]{Ideals and Motives [continued]}[17th June 1970]

Wednesday 17th June

6pm [continued]

            Of course genuine human compassion has its place -- though one might class that as a motive, being instinctive or inbred, rather than an ideal.  It is possible to argue, equally, that all human feelings are based on instinct; this may be true to a certain extent, but at one end of the scale the connection becomes so weak as to be irrelevant.  This is the trouble; charity for one's own children is a strong instinct and in our sense a motive; at the other end of the scale charity for native criminals in a Far-Eastern Communist prison, by people in Britain, is practically non-existent. 

Can it exist as pure ideal?  A Briton arrives at this prison -- which is unlikely anyway -- and is moved to compassion at the site of the native criminals being appallingly treated (this is a hypothetical example -- only Communist to emphasise how difficult it is to see).  Why is he so moved?  I think there must be two alternative primary reasons: either he has been brought up to feel moved at the sight of suffering -- a form of instinct, hence motive -- or he can imagine himself in the same position -- definitely motive: imagination plays a large part in generosity and charity. 

The conclusion is fairly obvious; but we should carry it one stage further.  Having seen this and having been moved by it the visitor attempts to move his fellow countryman: he advertises in the mass-media of Britain.  He wants to a rouse in them the same sensations he felt when he was actually there.  He tries to arouse their compassion and horror which will come for the same reasons to them as they did to him.  Hence photos, etc.

            Perhaps there are no ideals, merely motives prompting attitudes naturally and motives being used to induce and bolster attitudes artificially.

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