Calling All You Literary Types

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Calling All You Literary Types

Who wrote this? 'Licentiousness is essential for discovering the efficacy of prundence.' I always thought it was Milton, but I've been on his site and I come up with a blank. I have also just googled it and nothing comes up. Can anyone help?

Had a look in Oxford Dictionary of Quotations - nothing there either. St Thomas Aquinas did a Treatise on Prudence, but I can't see him being in favour of licentiousness! 

No; the point of the quote is that you need to go to the edge of moral turpitude, to find real morality. He's not in favour of licentuousness per se. (But it's fun for a while!)

 

Arguments of the kind you mention can be found in 

The Theory of Moral Sentiments
Adam Smith

Chap. IV: Of licentious Systems

All those systems, which I have hitherto given an account of, suppose that there is a real and essential distinction between vice and virtue, whatever these qualities may consist in.

Any Good to you?