Butagain，ifthesejudgmentsarenotclearanddefinite，stilllessaretheyconsistent。Idonotnowmeanthatoneman’sestimateofthevalueofanykindofpleasuresdiffersfromanother’s:
forwehaveassumedeachsentientindividualtobethefinaljudgeofthepleasantnessandpainfulnessofhisownfeelings，andthereforethiskindofdiscrepancydoesnotaffectthevalidityofthejudgments，andcreatesnodifficultyuntilanyonetriestoappropriatetheexperienceofothers，ButImeanthateachindividual’sjudgmentofthecomparativevalueofhisownpleasuresisapttobedifferentatdifferenttimes，thoughitrelatestothesamepastexperiences；andthatthisvariationisalegitimategroundfordistrustingthevalidityofanyparticularcomparison。
Thecausesofthisvariationseemtobepartlyduetothenatureoftherepresentedfeeling，andpartlytothegeneralstateofthemindatthetimeofmakingtherepresentation。Tobeginwiththeformer:wefindthatdifferentkindsofpastpleasuresandpainsdonotequallyadmitofbeingrevivedinimagination。Thus，generallyspeaking，ourmoreemotionalandmorerepresentativepainsaremoreeasilyrevivedthanthemoresensationalandpresentative:forexample，itisatthismomentmuchmoreeasyformetoimaginethediscomfortofexpectancywhichprecededapastsea-sicknessthanthepainoftheactualnausea:althoughIinfer——fromtherecollectionofjudgmentspassedatthetime——thattheformerpainwastriflingcomparedwiththelatter。Tothiscauseitseemsduethatpasthardships，toils，andanxietiesoftenappearpleasurablewhenwelookbackuponthem，aftersomeinterval；fortheexcitement，theheightenedsenseoflifethataccompaniedthepainfulstruggle，wouldhavebeenpleasurableiftakenbyitself；anditisthisthatwerecallratherthanthepain。Inestimatingpleasurestheothercauseofvariationismoreconspicuous；weareconsciousofchangesoccasionalorperiodicinourestimateofthem，dependinguponchangesinourmentalorbodilycondition。E。g。itisamatterofcommonremarkwithrespecttothegratificationsofappetitethatwecannotestimatethemadequatelyinthestateofsatiety，andthatweareapttoexaggeratetheminthestateofdesire。Idonotdenythatintensityofantecedentdesireintensifiesthepleasureoffruition；
sothatthispleasurenotonlyappears，asPlatothought，butactuallyisgreaterowingtothestrengthofthedesirethathaspreceded。Stillitisamatterofcommonexperiencethatpleasureswhichhavebeenintenselydesiredareoftenfoundtodisappointexpectation。
Thereseemtobenospecialstatesofaversion，determinedbybodilycauses，andrelatedtocertainpainsasourappetitestotheircorrespondentpleasures；butmostpersonsareliabletobethrownbytheprospectofcertainpainsintothestateofpassionateaversionwhichwecallfear，andtobetherebyledtoestimatesuchpainsasworsethantheywouldbejudgedtobeinacalmermood。
Further，whenfeelinganykindofpainoruneasinessweseemliabletounderratepainofaverydissimilarkind:thusindangerwevaluerepose，overlookingitsennui，whilethetediumofsecuritymakesusimaginethemingledexcitementofpastdangerasalmostpurelypleasurable。Andagainwhenweareabsorbedinanyparticularpleasantactivity，thepleasuresattendingdissimilaractivitiesareapttobecontemned:
theyappearcoarseorthin，asthecasemaybe:andthisconstitutesafundamentalobjectiontonotingtheexactdegreeofapleasureatthetimeofexperiencingit。Theeagerdesire，whichoftenseemsanindispensableelementofthewholestateofpleasurableactivity，generallyinvolvesasimilarbias:indeedanystrongexcitement，inwhichourthoughtisconcentratedonasingleresultorgroupofresults——whetheritbetheexcitementofaversion，fear，hope，orsuspense——tendstomakeusinappreciativeofalienpleasuresandpainsalike。And，speakingmoregenerally，wecannotimagineasveryintenseapleasureofakindthatatthetimeofimaginingitweareincapableofexperiencing:ase。g。thepleasuresofintellectualorbodilyexerciseatthecloseofawearyingday；oranyemotionalpleasurewhenoursusceptibilitytothespecialemotionistemporarilyexhausted。Ontheotherhand，itisnoteasytoguardagainsterror，asphilosophershaveoftenthought，bymakingourestimateinacoolandpassionlessstate。Fortherearemanypleasureswhichrequireprecedentdesire，andevenenthusiasmandhighlywroughtexcitement，inordertobeexperiencedintheirfullintensity；anditisnotlikelythatweshouldappreciatetheseadequatelyinastateofperfecttranquillity。
TheseconsiderationsmakeclearertheextentoftheassumptionsofEmpiricalQuantitativeHedonism，statedintheprecedingchapter:viz。1thatourpleasuresandpainshaveeachadefinitedegree，and2thatthisdegreeisempiricallycognisable。Firstly，ifpleasureonlyexistsasitisfelt，thebeliefthateverypleasureandpainhasadefiniteintensivequantityordegreemustremainanaprioriassumption，incapableofpositiveempiricalverification。Forthepleasurecanonlyhavethedegreeascomparedwithotherfeelings，ofthesameorsomedifferentkind；but，generallyspeaking，sincethiscomparisoncanonlybemadeinimagination，itcanonlyyieldthehypotheticalresultthatifcertainfeelingscouldbefelttogether，preciselyastheyhavebeenfeltseparately，onewouldbefoundmoredesirablethantheotherinsomedefiniteratio。
If，then，weareaskedwhatgroundwehaveforregardingthisimaginaryresultasavalidrepresentationofreality，wecannotsaymorethanthatthebeliefinitsgeneralvalidityisirresistiblysuggestedinreflectiononexperience，andremainsatanyrateuncontradictedbyexperience。
Butsecondly，grantingthateachofourpleasuresandpainshasreallyadefinitedegreeofpleasantnessorpainfulness，thequestionstillremainswhetherwehaveanymeansofaccuratelymeasuringthesedegrees。Isthereanyreasontosupposethatthemindiseverinsuchastateastobeaperfectlyneutralandcolourlessmediumforimaginingallkindsofpleasures？ExperiencecertainlyshowsusthefrequentoccurrenceofmoodsinwhichwehaveanapparentbiasfororagainstaparticularkindoffeelingIsitnotprobablethatthereisalwayssomebiasofthiskind？thatwearealwaysmoreintuneforsomepleasures，moresensitivetosomepains，thanwearetoothers？Itmust，Ithink，beadmittedthattheexactcognitionoftheplaceofeachkindoffeelinginascaleofdesirability，measuredpositivelyandnegativelyfromazeroofperfectindifference，isatbestanidealtowhichwecannevertellhowcloselyweapproximate。Stillinthevariationsofourjudgmentandthedisappointmentofourexpectationswehaveexperienceoferrorsofwhichwecantracethecausesandallowforthem，atleastroughly；correctinginthoughtthedefectsofimagination。Andsincewhatwerequireforpracticalguidanceistoestimatenotindividualpastexperiences，butthevalueofakindofpleasureorpain，asobtainedundercertaincircumstancesorconditions；
wecantosomeextentdiminishthechanceoferrorinthisestimatebymakinganumberofobservationsandimaginativecomparisons，atdifferenttimesandindifferentmoods。Insofarastheseagreewemaylegitimatelyfeelanincreasedconfidenceintheresult:andinsofarastheydiffer，wecanatleastreduceourpossibleerrorbystrikinganaverageofthedifferentestimates。Itwillbeevident，however，thatsuchamethodasthiscannotbeexpectedtoyieldmorethanaroughapproximationtothesupposedtruth。
Wemustconcludethenthatourestimateofthehedonisticvalueofanypastpleasureorpain，isliabletoanamountoferrorwhichwecannotcalculateexactly；becausetherepresentedpleasantnessofdifferentfeelingsfluctuatesandvariesindefinitelywithchangesintheactualconditionoftherepresentingmind。Wehavenowtoobservethat，forsimilarreasons，evensupposingwecouldadequatelyallowfor，andsoexclude，thissourceoferrorinourcomparisonofpastpleasures，itisliabletointrudeagaininarguingfromthepasttothefuture。Forourcapacityforparticularpleasuresmaybeabouttochange，ormayhaveactuallychangedsincetheexperiencesthatformthedataofourcalculation。
Wemayhavereachedthepointofsatietyinrespectofsomeofourpastpleasures，orotherwiselostoursusceptibilitytothem，owingtolatentchangesinourconstitution:orwemayhaveincreasedoursusceptibilitytopainsinevitablyconnectedwiththem:oralteredconditionsoflifemayhavegeneratedinusnewdesiresandaversions，andgivenrelativeimportancetonewsourcesofhappiness。Oranyorallofthesechangesmaybeexpectedtooccur，beforethecompletionofthecourseofconductuponwhichwearenowdeciding。Themostcarefulestimateofagirl’spleasuressupposingagirlgiftedwiththeabnormalhabitofreflectionthatwouldbenecessarywouldnotmuchprofitayoungwoman:andthehedonisticcalculationsofyouthrequiremodificationasweadvanceinyears。
Itmaybesaid，however，thatnoone，inmakingsuchaforecast，canordoesrelyentirelyonhisownexperience:whenendeavouringtoestimatetheprobableeffectuponhishappinessofnewcircumstancesandinfluences，untriedrulesofconductandfashionsoflife，healwaysarguespartlyfromtheexperienceofothers。Thisis，I
think，generallytrue:butbyincludinginferencesfromothermen’sexperienceweinevitablyintroduceanewpossibilityoferrorforsuchinferenceproceedsontheassumptionofasimilarityofnatureamonghumanbeings，whichisneverexactlytrue，whilewecanneverexactlyknowhowmuchitfallsshortofthetruth；thoughwehavesufficientevidenceofthestrikingdifferencesbetweenthefeelingsproducedindifferentmenbysimilarcauses，toconvinceusthattheassumptionwouldininanycasesbewhollymisleading。OnthisgroundPlato’sreasonforclaimingthatthelifeofthePhilosopherhasmorepleasurethanthatoftheSensualistispalpablyinadequate。Thephilosopher，lieargues，hastriedbothkindsofpleasure，sensualaswellasintellectual，andprefersthedelightsofphilosophiclife；thesensualistoughtthereforetotrusthisdecisionandfollowhisexample。Butwhocantellthatthephilosopher’sconstitutionisnotsuchastorendertheenjoymentsofthesenses，inhiscase，comparativelyfeeble？whileontheotherhandthesensualist’smindmaynotbeabletoattainmorethanathinshadowofthephilosopher’sdelight。Andso，generallyspeaking，ifwearetobeguidedbyanother’sexperience，werequiretobeconvincednotonlythatheisgenerallyaccurateinobserving，analysing，andcomparinghissensations，butalsothathisrelativesusceptibilitytothedifferentkindsofpleasureandpaininquestioncoincideswithourown。Iflieisunpractisedinintrospectiveobservation，itispossiblethathemaymistakeeventheexternalconditionsofhisownhappiness；andsothecommunicationofhisexperiencemaybealtogethermisleading。Buthoweveraccuratelyhehasanalysedanddeterminedthecausesofhisfeelings，thatsimilarcauseswouldproducesimilareffectsinusmustalwaysbeuncertain。Andtheuncertaintyisincreasedindefinitelyifouradviserhastorecallinmemoryoutofadistantpastsomeofthepleasuresorpainstobecompared。ThusintheeverrenewedcontroversybetweenAgeandYouth，wisdomisnotafterallsoclearlyonthesideofmaturercounselsasitseemstobeatfirstsight。Whenayouthiswarnedbyhisseniortoabstainfromsomepleasure，onthegroundofprudence，becauseitisnotworththepossiblepleasuresthatmustbesacrificedforitandthefuturepainsthatitwillentail；itisdifficultforhimtoknowhowfartheeldermancallrecall——evenifhecouldoncefeel——thefullraptureofthedelightthatheisaskingtheyoungertorenounce。
Andfurther，thissourceoferrorbesetsusinamoreextendedandmoresubtlemannerthanhasyetbeennoticed。Foroursympatheticapprehensionofalienexperiencesofpleasureandpainhasbeensocontinuallyexercised，insomanyways，duringthewholeofourlife，bothbyactualobservationandoralcommunicationwithotherhumanbeings，andthroughbooksandothermodesofsymbolicsuggestion；thatitisimpossibletosayhowfarithasunconsciouslyblendedwithourownexperience，soastocolourandmodifyitwhenrepresentedinmemory。Thuswemayeasilyoverlookthediscrepancybetweenourownexperienceandthatofothers，inrespectoftheimportanceofcertainsourcesofpleasureandpain，ifnosuddenandstrikingdisappointmentofexpectationsforcesitonournotice。Onlywithconsiderablecareandattentioncansympatheticpersonsseparatetheirownreallikesanddislikesfromthoseoftheirassociates:andwecannevertellwhetherthisseparationhasbeencompletelyeffected。
Butagain:thepracticalinferencefromthepasttothefutureisfurthercomplicatedbythefactthatwecanalterourselves。
Foritmaybethatourpastexperiencehasbeengreatlyaffectedbyourbeingnotproperlyattunedtocertainpleasures，ase。g。thoseofart，orstudy，ormuscularexercise，orsociety，orbeneficentaction！；
ornotdulyhardenedagainstcertainsourcesofpain，suchastoil，oranxiety，orabstinencefromluxuries:andtheremaybewithinourpowersomeprocessoftrainingorhardeningourselveswhichmayprofoundlymodifyoursusceptibilities。Andthisconsiderationisespeciallyimportant，——andatthesametimeespeciallydifficulttodealwith，——whenweattempttoappropriatetheexperienceofanother。Forwemayfindthatheestimateshighlypleasureswhichwenotonlyhaveneverexperiencedatall，butcannotpossiblyexperiencewithoutaconsiderablealterationofournature。Forexample，thepleasuresofthereligiouslife，therapturesofprayerandpraiseandthedevotionofthesoultoGod，arecommonlythoughttorequireConversionorcompletechangeofnaturebeforetheycanbeexperienced。
Andinthesamewaythesacrificeofsensualinclinationtodutyisdisagreeabletothenon-moralmanwhenheatfirstattemptsit，butaffordstothetrulyvirtuousmanadeepandstrongdelight。Andsimilarlyalmostallthemorerefinedintellectualandemotionalpleasuresrequiretrainingandcultureinordertobeenjoyed:andsincethistrainingdoesnotalwayssucceedinproducinganyconsiderabledegreeofsusceptibility，itmayalwaysbeamatterofdoubtforonefromwhomitwouldrequirethesacrificeofotherpleasures，whethersuchsacrificeisworthmaking。
Theforegoingconsiderationsmust，Ithink，seriouslyreduceourconfidenceinwhatIhavecalledtheEmpirical-reflectivemethodofEgoisticHedonism。Idonotconcludethatweshouldrejectitaltogether:
Iamconsciousthat，inspiteofallthedifficultiesthatIhaveurged，Icontinuetomakecomparisonsbetweenpleasuresandpainswithpracticalrelianceontheirresults。ButIconcludethatitwouldbeatleasthighlydesirable，withaviewtothesystematicdirectionofconduct，tocontrolandsupplementtheresultsofsuchcomparisonsbytheassistanceofsomeothermethod:ifwecanfindanyonwhichweseereasontorely。
Beforeweexaminethosemethodsofseekingone’sownhappinesswhicharemoreremotefromtheempirical，itwillbewelltoconsiderhowfarwemayreasonablyavoidthedifficultiesanduncertaintiesofthemethodofreflectivecomparison，byrelyingonthecurrentopinionsandacceptedestimatesofthevalueofdifferentobjectscommonlysoughtassourcesofpleasure。
Itcertainlyseemsmorenaturaltomen，atleastinthemainplanandorderingoftheirlives，toseekandconsciouslyestimatetheobjectiveconditionsandsourcesofhappiness，ratherthanhappinessitself；anditmayplausiblybesaidthatbyrelyingonsuchestimatesofobjectsweavoidthedifficultiesthatbesettheintrospectivemethodofcomparingfeelings:andthatthecommonopinionsastothevalueofdifferentsourcesofpleasureexpressthenetresultofthecombinedexperienceofmankindfromgenerationtogeneration:inwhichthedivergencesduetothelimitationsofeachindividual’sexperience，andtothedifferentlytingedmoodsinwhichdifferentestimateshavebeentaken，havebalancedandneutralisedeachotherandsodisappeared。
Idonotwishtoundervaluetheguidanceofcommonsenseinourpursuitofhappiness。Ithink，however，thatwhenweconsiderthesecommonopinionsaspremisesforthedeductionsofsystematicegoism，theymustbeadmittedtobeopentothefollowinggraveobjections。