"The Civil Law and the Moral Law" - Explanation of Allan Kardec. (Posthumous Works):
The evils of the humanity come from the imperfection of the men; it is by their vices that hurt one to another. While the men are vicious, they will be unhappy, because the struggle of interests will produce incessantly miseries.
Good laws contribute, undoubtedly, to the improvement of the social state, but are powerless to ensure the happiness of the mankind, because only compress the evil passions, but not annihilate them; are before reprehensible than moralizing; repress bad acts, that become more salient, without destroying their causes. In addition, the goodness of the laws is related to the goodness of the men; while they are dominated by pride and selfishness, they will make laws that are of interest to the personal ambitions.
The civil law does not change except the superficies; the moral law is penetrating in the internal forum of conscience and reforms it.
Therefore, being admitted that the attrition caused to the contact of the vices makes unfortunates the men, is in their moral improvement the only remedy for their misfortunes. Because that the imperfections are the source of the evils, the happiness will increase, in the measure that diminishing the imperfections. As better be a social institution, if the men are bad, they will falsify it and will denature it in order to the exploit in their particular advantage.
When the men will be good, will make good institutions that will be durable, because all have interest in their conservation.
The social question has not, therefore, its starting point in the form of this or that given institution; it is entire in the moral improvement of the individuals and of the masses. Here is the principle, the real key of the human happiness, because the men will not think more to do the evil to each other. It is not enough to cover of varnish the corruption; it is necessary to extirpate it. The principle of the improvement is in the nature of the beliefs, because these constitute the mobile of the actions and modify the sentiments. It is also in the ideas inculcated since the childhood and that identify with the spirit; it is still in the ideas that the further development of the intelligence and of the reason can fortify, never destroy. It is through the education, even more than by the instruction, that will be transformed the humanity.
The man, who seriously works in his improvement, ensures his happiness since this life; besides the satisfaction of his conscience, is free from the material and moral miseries, that are the forced consequences of their imperfections. Will have calm, because the vicissitudes will not affect him except slightly; will have health, because will not exhaust the body with excesses; will be rich, because is rich the one who is satisfied with the necessary; will have the peace of the soul, because will not impossible needs; will not be tormented by a thirst for honors and of the superfluous by the fever of the ambition, of the envy and of the jealousy.
Indulgent to the imperfections of others, less will suffer by this; these imperfections will excite him pity instead of the cholera. Avoiding what may be harmful to others, either by words or by works, looking for anything that can be useful and pleasant to others, no one will suffer from their relationship; ensures his happiness in the future life, because the more purifies himself here, more will rise in the hierarchy of the intelligent beings, and very early will leave this of proofs by the superior worlds, because the evil which had repaired in this life, does not claim others reparative existences and because, in the erraticity, only will find friends and sympathizers and will not be tormented by the constant vision of those who would have reason to claim against him.
Live the men animated of these feelings and will be as happy as one can be on Earth; and when little by little these feelings to gain a people, a race, all humanity, our globe will pass to the order of the happy worlds. Will be this a chimaera, an utopian? Yes, for those who do not believe in the progress of the soul; not, for those who believe in the indefinite perfectibility.
