the critique of judgement-第31章

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eral　incapable　of　all　firm　principles；　even　a　religious　discourse　which　recommends　a　cringing　and　abject　grace…begging　and　favour…seeking；　abandoning　all　reliance　on　our　own　ability　to　resist　the　evil　within　us；　in　place　of　the　vigorous　resolution　to　try　to　get　the　better　of　our　inclinations　by　means　of　those　powers　which；　miserable　sinners　though　we　be；　are　still　left　to　us；　that　false　humility　by　which　self…abasement；　whining　hypocritical　repentance　and　a　merely　passive　frame　of　mind　are　set　down　as　the　method　by　which　alone　we　can　become　acceptable　to　the　Supreme　Being…these　have　neither　lot　nor　fellowship　with　what　may　be　reckoned　to　belong　to　beauty；　not　to　speak　of　sublimity；　of　mental　temperament。　　　But　even　impetuous　movements　of　the　mind　be　they　allied　under　the　name　of　edification　with　ideas　of　religion；　or；　as　pertaining　merely　to　culture；　with　ideas　involving　a　social　interest　no　matter　what　tension　of　the　imagination　they　may　produce；　can　in　no　way　lay　claim　to　the　honour　of　a　sublime　presentation；　if　they　do　not　leave　behind　them　a　temper　of　mind　which；　though　it　be　only　indirectly；　has　an　influence　upon　the　consciousness　of　the　mind's　strength　and　resoluteness　in　respect　of　that　which　carries　with　it　pure　intellectual　finality　（the　supersensible）。　For；　in　the　absence　of　this；　all　these　emotions　belong　only　to　motion；　which　we　welcome　in　the　interests　of　good　health。　The　agreeable　lassitude　that　follows　upon　being　stirred　up　in　that　way　by　the　play　of　the　affections；　is　a　fruition　of　the　state　of　well…being　arising　from　the　restoration　of　the　equilibrium　of　the　various　vital　forces　within　us。　This；　in　the　last　resort；　comes　to　no　more　than　what　the　Eastern　voluptuaries　find　so　soothing　when　they　get　their　bodies　massaged；　and　all　their　muscles　and　joints　softly　pressed　and　bent；　only　that　in　the　first　case　the　principle　that　occasions　the　movement　is　chiefly　internal；　whereas　here　it　is　entirely　external。　Thus；　many　a　man　believes　himself　edified　by　a　sermon　in　which　there　is　no　establishment　of　anything　（no　system　of　good　maxims）；　or　thinks　himself　improved　by　a　tragedy；　when　he　is　merely　glad　at　having　got　well　rid　of　the　feeling　of　being　bored。　Thus　the　sublime　must　in　every　case　have　reference　to　our　way　of　thinking；　i。e。；　to　maxims　directed　to　giving　the　intellectual　side　of　our　nature　and　the　ideas　of　reason　supremacy　over　sensibility。　　　We　have　no　reason　to　fear　that　the　feeling　of　the　sublime　will　suffer　from　an　abstract　mode　of　presentation　like　this；　which　is　altogether　negative　as　to　what　is　sensuous。　For　though　the　imagination；　no　doubt；　finds　nothing　beyond　the　sensible　world　to　which　it　can　lay　hold；　still　this　thrusting　aside　of　the　sensible　barriers　gives　it　a　feeling　of　being　unbounded；　and　that　removal　is　thus　a　presentation　of　the　infinite。　As　such　it　can　never　be　anything　more　than　a　negative　presentation…but　still　it　expands　the　soul。　Perhaps　there　is　no　more　sublime　passage　in　the　Jewish　Law　than　the　commandment：　〃Thou　shalt　not　make　unto　thee　any　graven　image；　or　any　likeness　of　any　thing　that　is　in　heaven　or　on　earth；　or　under　the　earth；　etc。〃　This　commandment　can　alone　explain　the　enthusiasm　which　the　Jewish　people；　in　their　moral　period；　felt　for　their　religion　when　comparing　themselves　with　others；　or　the　pride　inspired　by　Mohammedanism。　The　very　same　holds　good　of　our　representation　of　the　moral　law　and　of　our　native　capacity　for　morality。　The　fear　that；　if　we　divest　this　representation　of　everything　that　can　commend　it　to　the　senses；　it　will　thereupon　be　attended　only　with　a　cold　and　lifeless　approbation　and　not　with　any　moving　force　or　emotion；　is　wholly　unwarranted。　The　very　reverse　is　the　truth。　For　when　nothing　any　longer　meets　the　eye　of　sense；　and　the　unmistakable　and　ineffaceable　idea　of　morality　is　left　in　possession　of　the　field；　there　would　be　need　rather　of　tempering　the　ardour　of　an　unbounded　imagination　to　prevent　it　rising　to　enthusiasm；　than　of　seeking　to　lend　these　ideas　the　aid　of　images　and　childish　devices　for　fear　of　their　being　wanting　in　potency。　For　this　reason；　governments　have　gladly　let　religion　be　fully　equipped　with　these　accessories；　seeking　in　this　way　to　relieve　their　subjects　of　the　exertion；　but　to　deprive　them；　at　the　same　time；　of　the　ability；　required　for　expanding　their　spiritual　powers　beyond　the　limits　arbitrarily　laid　down　for　them；　and　which　facilitate　their　being　treated　as　though　they　were　merely　passive。　　　This　pure；　elevating；　merely　negative　presentation　of　morality　involves；　on　the　other　hand；　no　fear　of　fanaticism；　which　is　a　delusion　that　would　will　some　VISION　beyond　all　the　bounds　of　sensibility；　i。e。；　would　dream　according　to　principles　（rational　raving）。　The　safeguard　is　the　purely　negative　character　of　the　presentation。　For　the　inscrutability　of　the　idea　of　freedom　precludes　all　positive　presentation。　The　moral　law；　however；　is　a　sufficient　and　original　source　of　determination　within　us：　so　it　does　not　for　a　moment　permit　us　to　cast　about　for　a　ground　of　determination　external　to　itself。　If　enthusiasm　is　comparable　to　delirium；　fanaticism　may　be　compared　to　mania。　Of　these；　the　latter　is　least　of　all　compatible　with　the　sublime；　for　it　is　profoundly　ridiculous。　In　enthusiasm；　as　an　affection；　the　imagination　is　unbridled；　in　fanaticism；　as　a　deep…seated；　brooding　passion；　it　is　anomalous。　The　first　is　a　transitory　accident　to　which　the　healthiest　understanding　is　liable　to　become　at　times　the　victim；　the　second　is　an　undermining　disease。　　　Simplicity　（artless　finality）　is；　as　it　were；　the　style　adopted　by　nature　in　the　sublime。　It　is　also　that　of　morality。　The　latter　is　a　second　（supersensible）　nature；　whose　laws　alone　we　know；　without　being　able　to　attain　to　an　intuition　of　the　supersensible　faculty　within　us…that　which　contains　the　ground　of　this　legislation。　　　One　further　remark。　The　delight　in　the　sublime；　no　less　than　in　the　beautiful；　by　reason　of　its　universal　communicability　not　alone　is　plainly　distinguished　from　other　aesthetic　judgements；　but　also　from　this　same　property　acquires　an　interest　in　society　（in　which　it　admits　of　such　communication）。　Yet；　despite　this；　we　have　to　note　the　fact　that　isolation　from　all　society　is　looked　upon　as　something　sublime；　provided　it　rests　upon　ideas　which　disregard　all　sensible　interest。　To　be　self…sufficing；　and　so　not　to　stand　in　need　of　society；　yet　without　being　unsociable；　i。e。；　without　shunning　it；　is　something　approaching　the　sublime…a　remark　applicable　to　all　superiority　to　wants。　On　the　other　hand；　to　shun　our　fellow　men　from　misanthropy；　because　of　enmity　towards　them；　or　from　anthropophobia；　because　we　imagine　the　hand　of　every　man　is　against　us；　is　partly　odious；　partly　contemptible。　There　is；　however；　a　misanthropy　（most　improperly　so　called）；　the　tendency　towards　which　is　to　be　found　with　advancing　years　in　many　right　minded　men；　that；　as　far　as　good　will　goes；　is　no　doubt；　philanthropic　enough；　but　as　the　result　of　long　and　sad　experience；　is　widely　removed　from　delight　in　mankind。　We　see　evidences　of　this　in　the　propensity　to　recluseness；　in　the　fanciful　desire　for　a　retired　country　seat；　or　else　（with　the　young）　in　the　dream　of　the　happiness　of　being　able　to　spend　one's　life　with　a　little　family　on　an　island　unknown　to　the　rest　of　the　world…material　of　which　novelists　or　writers　of　Robinsonades　know　how　to　make　such　good　use。　Falsehood；　ingratitude；　injustice；　the　puerility　of　the　ends　which　we　ourselves　look　upon　as　great　and　momentous；　and　to　compass　which　man　inflicts　upon　his　brother　man　all　imaginable　evils…these　all　so　contradict　the　idea　of　what　men　might　be　if　they　only　would；　and　are　so　at　variance　with　our　active　wish　to　see　them　better；　that；　to　avoid　hating　where　we　cannot　love；　it　seems　but　a　slight　sacrifice　to　forego　all　the　joys　of　fellowship　with　our　kind。　This　sadness；　which　is　not　directed　to　the　evils　which　fate　brings　down　upon　others　（a　sadness　which　springs　from　sympathy）；　but　to　those　which　they　inflict　upon　themselves　（one　which　is　based　on　antipathy　in　questions　of　principle）；　is　sublime　because　it　is　founded　on　ideas；　whereas　that　springing　from　sympathy　can　only　be　accounted　beautiful。　Sassure；　who　was　no　less　ingenious　than　profound；　in　the　descrip