Of Awakening the Mind

The true object of education, like that of every other moral process, is the generation of happiness.

Happiness to the individual in the first place. If individuals were universally happy, the species would be happy.

Man is a social being. In society the interests of individuals are interwisted with each other, and cannot be separated. Men should be taught to assist each other. The first object should be to train a man to be happy ; the second to train him to be useful, that is, to be virtuous.

There is a further reason for this. Virtue is essential to individual happiness.

Source : William Godwin, The Enquirer. Reflections On Education, Manners, And Literature. In A Series Of Essays. London : G.G. and J. Robinson, 1797.