orthodoxy-第7部分

快捷操作: 按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页 按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页 按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部! 如果本书没有阅读完，想下次继续接着阅读，可使用上方 "收藏到我的浏览器" 功能 和 "加入书签" 功能！



We　are　in　danger　of　seeing　philosophers　who　doubt　the　law　of　gravity



as　being　a　mere　fancy　of　their　own。　　Scoffers　of　old　time　were　too



proud　to　be　convinced；　but　these　are　too　humble　to　be　convinced。　



The　meek　do　inherit　the　earth；　but　the　modern　sceptics　are　too　meek



even　to　claim　their　inheritance。　　It　is　exactly　this　intellectual



helplessness　which　is　our　second　problem。







　　　　　The　last　chapter　has　been　concerned　only　with　a　fact　of　observation：　



that　what　peril　of　morbidity　there　is　for　man　comes　rather　from



his　reason　than　his　imagination。　　It　was　not　meant　to　attack　the



authority　of　reason；　rather　it　is　the　ultimate　purpose　to　defend　it。　



For　it　needs　defence。　　The　whole　modern　world　is　at　war　with　reason；



and　the　tower　already　reels。







　　　　　The　sages；　it　is　often　said；　can　see　no　answer　to　the　riddle



of　religion。　　But　the　trouble　with　our　sages　is　not　that　they



cannot　see　the　answer；　it　is　that　they　cannot　even　see　the　riddle。　



They　are　like　children　so　stupid　as　to　notice　nothing　paradoxical



in　the　playful　assertion　that　a　door　is　not　a　door。　　The　modern



latitudinarians　speak；　for　instance；　about　authority　in　religion



not　only　as　if　there　were　no　reason　in　it；　but　as　if　there　had　never



been　any　reason　for　it。　　Apart　from　seeing　its　philosophical　basis；



they　cannot　even　see　its　historical　cause。　　Religious　authority



has　often；　doubtless；　been　oppressive　or　unreasonable；　just　as



every　legal　system　（and　especially　our　present　one）　has　been



callous　and　full　of　a　cruel　apathy。　　It　is　rational　to　attack



the　police；　nay；　it　is　glorious。　　But　the　modern　critics　of　religious



authority　are　like　men　who　should　attack　the　police　without　ever



having　heard　of　burglars。　　For　there　is　a　great　and　possible　peril



to　the　human　mind：　　a　peril　as　practical　as　burglary。　　Against　it



religious　authority　was　reared；　rightly　or　wrongly；　as　a　barrier。　



And　against　it　something　certainly　must　be　reared　as　a　barrier；



if　our　race　is　to　avoid　ruin。







　　　　　That　peril　is　that　the　human　intellect　is　free　to　destroy　itself。　



Just　as　one　generation　could　prevent　the　very　existence　of　the　next



generation；　by　all　entering　a　monastery　or　jumping　into　the　sea；　so　one



set　of　thinkers　can　in　some　degree　prevent　further　thinking　by　teaching



the　next　generation　that　there　is　no　validity　in　any　human　thought。　



It　is　idle　to　talk　always　of　the　alternative　of　reason　and　faith。　



Reason　is　itself　a　matter　of　faith。　　It　is　an　act　of　faith　to　assert



that　our　thoughts　have　any　relation　to　reality　at　all。　　If　you　are



merely　a　sceptic；　you　must　sooner　or　later　ask　yourself　the　question；



〃Why　should　ANYTHING　go　right；　even　observation　and　deduction？　



Why　should　not　good　logic　be　as　misleading　as　bad　logic？　



They　are　both　movements　in　the　brain　of　a　bewildered　ape？〃　



The　young　sceptic　says；　〃I　have　a　right　to　think　for　myself。〃　



But　the　old　sceptic；　the　complete　sceptic；　says；　〃I　have　no　right



to　think　for　myself。　　I　have　no　right　to　think　at　all。〃







　　　　　There　is　a　thought　that　stops　thought。　　That　is　the　only　thought



that　ought　to　be　stopped。　　That　is　the　ultimate　evil　against　which



all　religious　authority　was　aimed。　　It　only　appears　at　the　end　of



decadent　ages　like　our　own：　　and　already　Mr。　H。G。Wells　has　raised　its



ruinous　banner；　he　has　written　a　delicate　piece　of　scepticism　called



〃Doubts　of　the　Instrument。〃　　In　this　he　questions　the　brain　itself；



and　endeavours　to　remove　all　reality　from　all　his　own　assertions；



past；　present；　and　to　come。　　But　it　was　against　this　remote　ruin



that　all　the　military　systems　in　religion　were　originally　ranked



and　ruled。　　The　creeds　and　the　crusades；　the　hierarchies　and　the



horrible　persecutions　were　not　organized；　as　is　ignorantly　said；



for　the　suppression　of　reason。　　They　were　organized　for　the　difficult



defence　of　reason。　　Man；　by　a　blind　instinct；　knew　that　if　once



things　were　wildly　questioned；　reason　could　be　questioned　first。　



The　authority　of　priests　to　absolve；　the　authority　of　popes　to　define



the　authority；　even　of　inquisitors　to　terrify：　　these　were　all　only　dark



defences　erected　round　one　central　authority；　more　undemonstrable；



more　supernatural　than　allthe　authority　of　a　man　to　think。　



We　know　now　that　this　is　so；　we　have　no　excuse　for　not　knowing　it。　



For　we　can　hear　scepticism　crashing　through　the　old　ring　of　authorities；



and　at　the　same　moment　we　can　see　reason　swaying　upon　her　throne。　



In　so　far　as　religion　is　gone；　reason　is　going。　　For　they　are　both



of　the　same　primary　and　authoritative　kind。　　They　are　both　methods



of　proof　which　cannot　themselves　be　proved。　　And　in　the　act　of



destroying　the　idea　of　Divine　authority　we　have　largely　destroyed



the　idea　of　that　human　authority　by　which　we　do　a　long…division　sum。　



With　a　long　and　sustained　tug　we　have　attempted　to　pull　the　mitre



off　pontifical　man；　and　his　head　has　come　off　with　it。







　　　　　Lest　this　should　be　called　loose　assertion；　it　is　perhaps　desirable；



though　dull；　to　run　rapidly　through　the　chief　modern　fashions



of　thought　which　have　this　effect　of　stopping　thought　itself。　



Materialism　and　the　view　of　everything　as　a　personal　illusion



have　some　such　effect；　for　if　the　mind　is　mechanical；



thought　cannot　be　very　exciting；　and　if　the　cosmos　is　unreal；



there　is　nothing　to　think　about。　　But　in　these　cases　the　effect



is　indirect　and　doubtful。　　In　some　cases　it　is　direct　and　clear；



notably　in　the　case　of　what　is　generally　called　evolution。







　　　　　Evolution　is　a　good　example　of　that　modern　intelligence　which；



if　it　destroys　anything；　destroys　itself。　　Evolution　is　either



an　innocent　scientific　description　of　how　certain　earthly　things



came　about；　or；　if　it　is　anything　more　than　this；　it　is　an　attack



upon　thought　itself。　　If　evolution　destroys　anything；　it　does　not



destroy　religion　but　rationalism。　　If　evolution　simply　means　that



a　positive　thing　called　an　ape　turned　very　slowly　into　a　positive



thing　called　a　man；　then　it　is　stingless　for　the　most　orthodox；



for　a　personal　God　might　just　as　well　do　things　slowly　as　quickly；



especially　if；　like　the　Christian　God；　he　were　outside　time。　



But　if　it　means　anything　more；　it　means　that　there　is　no　such



thing　as　an　ape　to　change；　and　no　such　thing　as　a　man　for　him



to　change　into。　　It　means　that　there　is　no　such　thing　as　a　thing。　



At　best；　there　is　only　one　thing；　and　that　is　a　flux　of　everything



and　anything。　　This　is　an　attack　not　upon　the　faith；　but　upon



the　mind；　you　cannot　think　if　there　are　no　things　to　think　about。　



You　cannot　think　if　you　are　not　separate　from　the　subject　of　thought。　



Descartes　said；　〃I　think；　therefore　I　am。〃　　The　philosophic　evolutionist



reverses　and　negatives　the　epigram。　　He　says；　〃I　am　not；　therefore　I



cannot　think。〃







　　　　　Then　there　is　the　opposite　attack　on　thought：　　that　urged　by



Mr。　H。G。Wells　when　he　insists　that　every　separate　thing　is　〃unique；〃



and　there　are　no　categories　at　all。　　This　also　is　merely　destructive。　



Thinking　means　connecting　things；　and　stops　if　they　cannot　be　connected。　



It　need　hardly　be　said　that　this　scepticism　forbidding　thought



necessarily　forbids　speech；　a　man　cannot　open　his　mouth　without



contradicting　it。　　Thus　when　Mr。　Wells　says　（as　he　did　somewhere）；



〃All　chairs　are　quite　different；〃　he　utters　not　merely　a　misstatement；



but　a　contradiction　in　terms。　　If　all　chairs　were　quite　different；



you　could　not　call　them　〃all　chairs。〃







　　　　　Akin　to　these　is　the　false　theory　of　progress；　which　maintains



that　we　alter　the　test　instead　of　trying　to　pass　the　test。　



We　often　hear　it　said；　for　instance；　〃What　is　right　in　one　age



is　wrong　in　another。〃　　This　is　quite　reasonable；　if　it　means　that



there　is　a　fixed　aim；　and　that　certain　methods　attain　at　certain



times　and　not　at　other　times。　　If　women；　say；　desire　to　be　elegant；



it　may　be　that　they　are　improved　at　one　time　by　growing　fatter　and



at　another　time　by　growing　thinner。　　But　you　cannot　say　that　they



are　improved　by　ceasing　to　wish　to　be　elegant　and　beginning　to　wish



to　be　oblong。　　If　the　standard　changes；　how　can　there　be　improvement；



which　implies　a　standard？　　Nietzsche　started　a　nonsensical　idea　that



men　had　once　sought　as　good　what　we　now　call　evil；　if　it　were　so；



we　could　not　talk　of　surpassing　or　even　falling　short　of　them。　



How　can　you　overtake　Jones　if　you　walk　in　the　other　direction？　



You　cannot　discuss　whether　one　people　has　succeeded　more　in　being



miserable　than　another　succeeded　in　being　happy。　　It　would　be



like　discussing　whether　Milton　was　more　puritanical　than　a　pig



is　fat。







　　　　　It　is　true　that　a　man　（a　silly　man）　might　make　change　itself　his



object　or　ideal。　　But　as　an　ideal；　change　itself　becomes　unchangeable。　



If　the　change…worshipper　wishes　to　estimate　his　own　progress；　he　must



be　sternly　loyal　to　the　ideal　of　change；　he　must　not　begin　to　flirt



gaily　with　the　ideal　of　monotony。　　Progress　itself　cannot　progress。　



It　is　worth　remark；　in　passing；　that　when　Tennyson；　in　a　wild　and　rather



weak　manner；　welcomed　the　idea　of　infinite　alteration　in　society；



he　instinctively　took　a　metaphor　which　suggests　an　imprisoned　tedium。　



He　wrote







　　　　　〃Let　the　great　world　spin　for　ever　down　the　ringing　grooves



of　change。〃







He　thought　of　change　itself　as　an　unchangeable　groove；　and　so　it　is。　



Change　is　about　the　narrowest　and　hardest　groove　that　a　man　can



get　into。







　　　　　The　main