Pagina 445 di 734

It is not enough however merely to state the truth, we should

also show how the false view arises; because this strengthens

conviction. I mean, when we have given a probable reason why that

impresses people as true which really is not true, it gives them

a stronger conviction of the truth. And so we must now explain

why the bodily Pleasures appear to people to be more

choice-worthy than any others.

The first obvious reason is, that bodily Pleasure drives out

Pain; and because Pain is felt in excess men pursue Pleasure in

excess, i.e. generally bodily Pleasure, under the notion of its

being a remedy for that Pain. These remedies, moreover, come to

be violent ones; which is the very reason they are pursued, since

the impression they produce on the mind is owing to their being

looked at side by side with their contrary.

And, as has been said before, there are the two following reasons

why bodily Pleasure is thought to be not-good.