Traité Élémentaire de Morale et du Bonheur
by Jean Paradis de Raymondis
| Traite Elementaire | ||
 at the College of William & Mary. |
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| Author | Jean Paradis de Raymondis | |
A Lyon: Barret, 1784.
Jean-Zacharie Paradis de Raymondis was a French moralist born in Bourg en Bresse on February 8, 1746 to Philippe Paradis and Marguerite de Raymondis. Like his father, Jean-Zacharie Paradis held the position of lieutenant general at the Présidial of Bourg, a judicial tribunal that existed under the Ancien Régime. He died in Lyon in 1800.
According to de Raymondis. Traité Élémentaire de Morale et du Bonheur represents an attempt to reduce morality into a comprehensive guide for improving both personal and societal happiness and morality. The author claims that the ancients never thought to create such a text and that although some his contemporaries had proposed the project, he is the first to actually produce it (23).
The treatise asserts that the hypotheses of metaphysical philosophy are “pure fruits of the imagination” and “ideas without objects”, which are detached from human existence and thus unrelated to morality (24). Therefore rather than focusing on abstract philosophical concepts, Paradis de Raymondis addresses what he calls “human morality”, or conduct that makes an individual happier and unites humanity (26). The treatise is comprised of 15 chapters which relate to various areas of life that de Raymondis contends can impact one’s morality and happiness. These include health, comfort, liberty, tranquility, work, the study of science and reflection, passion, wealth, honor, pleasures, and government.
De Raymondis contends that although man is motivated to act in accordance with his own interests, the areas of life related happiness are essentially social. Therefore the best way to improve happiness to follow a moral code that recognizes that one’s interests are intertwined with those of others. A contemporary writer and Enlightenment philosopher, Alexandre Deleyre, reportedly remarked that de Raymondis's treatise was the greatest work written on the subject of happiness.
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