lecture01-第7章

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idea；　he　has　no　rest　till　he　proclaims　it；　or　in　some　way　〃works



it　off。〃　　〃What　shall　I　think　of　it？〃　a　common　person　says　to



himself　about　a　vexed　question；　but　in　a　〃cranky〃　mind　〃What　must



I　do　about　it？〃　is　the　form　the　question　tends　to　take。　　In　the



autobiography　of　that　high…souled　woman；　Mrs。　Annie　Besant；　I



read　the　following　passage：　　〃Plenty　of　people　wish　well　to　any



good　cause；　but　very　few　care　to　exert　themselves　to　help　it；　and



still　fewer　will　risk　anything　in　its　support。　　'Someone　ought　to



do　it；　but　why　should　I？'　is　the　ever　reechoed　phrase　of



weak…kneed　amiability。　'Someone　ought　to　do　it；　so　why　not　I？'　is



the　cry　of　some　earnest　servant　of　man；　eagerly　forward　springing



to　face　some　perilous　duty。　　Between　these　two　sentences　lie



whole　centuries　of　moral　evolution。〃　　True　enough！　and　between



these　two　sentences　lie　also　the　different　destinies　of　the



ordinary　sluggard　and　the　psychopathic　man。　　Thus；　when　a



superior　intellect　and　a　psychopathic　temperament　coalesceas　in



the　endless　permutations　and　combinations　of　human　faculty；　they



are　bound　to　coalesce　often　enoughin　the　same　individual；　we



have　the　best　possible　condition　for　the　kind　of　effective　genius



that　gets　into　the　　biographical　dictionaries。　　Such　men　do



not　remain　mere　critics　and　understanders　with　their　intellect。　



Their　ideas　possess　them；　they　inflict　them；　for　better　or　worse；



upon　their　companions　or　their　age。　　It　is　they　who　get　counted



when　Messrs。　Lombroso；　Nisbet；　and　others　invoke　statistics　to



defend　their　paradox。







＇7＇　　Superior　intellect；　as　Professor　Bain　has　admirably　shown；



seems　to　consist　in　nothing　so　much　as　in　a　large　development　of



the　faculty　of　association　by　similarity。















To　pass　now　to　religious　phenomena；　take　the　melancholy　which；　as



we　shall　see；　constitutes　an　essential　moment　in　every　complete



religious　evolution。　　Take　the　happiness　which　achieved　religious



belief　confers。　　Take　the　trancelike　states　of　insight　into　truth



which　all　religious　mystics　report。＇8＇　　These　are　each　and　all　of



them　special　cases　of　kinds　of　human　experience　of　much　wider



scope。　　Religious　melancholy；　whatever　peculiarities　it　may　have



qua　religious；　is　at　any　rate　melancholy。　　Religious　happiness　is



happiness。　Religious　trance　is　trance。　　And　the　moment　we



renounce　the　absurd　notion　that　a　thing　is　exploded　away　as　soon



as　it　is　classed　with　others；　or　its　origin　is　shown；　the　moment



we　agree　to　stand　by　experimental　results　and　inner　quality；　in



judging　of　valueswho　does　not　see　that　we　are　likely　to



ascertain　the　distinctive　significance　of　religious　melancholy



and　happiness；　or　of　religious　trances；　far　better　by　comparing



them　as　conscientiously　as　we　can　with　other　varieties　of



melancholy；　happiness；　and　trance；　than　by　refusing　to　consider



their　place　in　any　more　general　series；　and　treating　them　as　if



they　were　outside　of　nature's　order　altogether？







I　hope　that　the　course　of　these　lectures　will　confirm　us　in　this



supposition。　　As　regards　the　psychopathic　origin　of　so　many



religious　phenomena；　that　would　not　be　in　the　least　surprising　or



disconcerting；　even　were　such　phenomena　certified　from　on　high　to



be　the　most　precious　of　human　experiences。　　No　one　organism　can



possibly　yield　to　its　owner　the　whole　body　of　truth。　　Few　of　us



are　not　in　some　way　infirm；　or　even　diseased；　and　our　very



infirmities　help　us　unexpectedly。　　In　the　psychopathic



temperament　we　have　the　emotionality　which　is　the　sine　qua　non　of



moral　perception；　we　have　the　intensity　and　tendency　to　emphasis



which　are　the　essence　of　practical　moral　vigor；　and　we　have　the



love　of　metaphysics　and　mysticism　which　carry　one's　interests



beyond　the　surface　of　the　sensible　world。　What；　then；　is　more



natural　than　that　this　temperament　should　introduce　one　to



regions　of　religious　truth；　to　corners　of　the　universe；　which



your　robust　Philistine　type　of　nervous　system；　forever　offering



its　biceps　to　be　felt；　thumping　its　breast；　and　thanking　Heaven



that　it　hasn't　a　single　morbid　fiber　in　its　composition；　would　be



sure　to　hide　forever　from　its　self…satisfied　possessors？







＇8＇　　I　may　refer　to　a　criticism　of　the　insanity　theory　of　genius



in　the　Psychological　Review；　ii。　287　（1895）。















If　there　were　such　a　thing　as　inspiration　from　a　higher　realm；　it



might　well　be　that　the　neurotic　temperament　would　furnish　the



chief　condition　of　the　requisite　receptivity。　And　having　said



thus　much；　I　think　that　I　may　let　the　matter　of　religion　and



neuroticism　drop。







The　mass　of　collateral　phenomena；　morbid　or　healthy；　with　which



the　various　religious　phenomena　must　be　compared　in　order　to



understand　them　better；　forms　what　in　the　slang　of　pedagogics　is



termed　〃the　apperceiving　mass〃　by　which　we　comprehend　them。　　The



only　novelty　that　I　can　imagine　this　course　of　lectures　to



possess　lies　in　the　breadth　of　the　apperceiving　mass。　　I　may



succeed　in　discussing　religious　experiences　in　a　wider　context



than　has　been　usual　in　university　courses。