01-what is man-第1章

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　WHAT　IS　MAN？





I



a。　Man　the　Machine。　　b。　　Personal　Merit





＇The　Old　Man　and　the　Young　Man　had　been　conversing。　　The　Old

Man　had　asserted　that　the　human　being　is　merely　a　machine；　and

nothing　more。　　The　Young　Man　objected；　and　asked　him　to　go　into

particulars　and　furnish　his　reasons　for　his　position。＇



Old　Man。　　What　are　the　materials　of　which　a　steam…engine　is　made？



Young　Man。　　Iron；　steel；　brass；　white…metal；　and　so　on。



O。M。　　Where　are　these　found？



Y。M。　　In　the　rocks。



O。M。　　In　a　pure　state？



Y。M。　　Noin　ores。



O。M。　　Are　the　metals　suddenly　deposited　in　the　ores？



Y。M。　　Noit　is　the　patient　work　of　countless　ages。



O。M。　　You　could　make　the　engine　out　of　the　rocks　themselves？



Y。M。　　Yes；　a　brittle　one　and　not　valuable。



O。M。　　You　would　not　require　much；　of　such　an　engine　as　that？



Y。M。　　Nosubstantially　nothing。



O。M。　　To　make　a　fine　and　capable　engine；　how　would　you

proceed？



Y。M。　　Drive　tunnels　and　shafts　into　the　hills；　blast　out　the

iron　ore；　crush　it；　smelt　it；　reduce　it　to　pig…iron；　put　some　of

it　through　the　Bessemer　process　and　make　steel　of　it。　　Mine　and

treat　and　combine　several　metals　of　which　brass　is　made。



O。M。　　Then？



Y。M。　　Out　of　the　perfected　result；　build　the　fine　engine。



O。M。　　You　would　require　much　of　this　one？



Y。M。　　Oh；　indeed　yes。



O。M。　　It　could　drive　lathes；　drills；　planers；　punches；

polishers；　in　a　word　all　the　cunning　machines　of　a　great　factory？



Y。M。　　It　could。



O。M。　　What　could　the　stone　engine　do？



Y。M。　　Drive　a　sewing…machine；　possiblynothing　more；

perhaps。



O。M。　　Men　would　admire　the　other　engine　and　rapturously

praise　it？



Y。M。　　Yes。



O。M。　　But　not　the　stone　one？



Y。M。　　No。



O。M。　　The　merits　of　the　metal　machine　would　be　far　above

those　of　the　stone　one？



Y。M。　　Of　course。



O。M。　　Personal　merits？



Y。M。　　PERSONAL　merits？　　How　do　you　mean？



O。M。　　It　would　be　personally　entitled　to　the　credit　of　its

own　performance？



Y。M。　　The　engine？　　Certainly　not。



O。M。　　Why　not？



Y。M。　　Because　its　performance　is　not　personal。　　It　is　the

result　of　the　law　of　construction。　　It　is　not　a　MERIT　that　it

does　the　things　which　it　is　set　to　doit　can't　HELP　doing　them。



O。M。　　And　it　is　not　a　personal　demerit　in　the　stone　machine

that　it　does　so　little？



Y。M。　　Certainly　not。　　It　does　no　more　and　no　less　than　the

law　of　its　make　permits　and　compels　it　to　do。　　There　is　nothing

PERSONAL　about　it；　it　cannot　choose。　　In　this　process　of　〃working

up　to　the　matter〃　is　it　your　idea　to　work　up　to　the　proposition

that　man　and　a　machine　are　about　the　same　thing；　and　that　there

is　no　personal　merit　in　the　performance　of　either？



O。M。　　Yesbut　do　not　be　offended；　I　am　meaning　no　offense。

What　makes　the　grand　difference　between　the　stone　engine　and　the

steel　one？　　Shall　we　call　it　training；　education？　　Shall　we　call

the　stone　engine　a　savage　and　the　steel　one　a　civilized　man？　　The

original　rock　contained　the　stuff　of　which　the　steel　one　was

builtbut　along　with　a　lot　of　sulphur　and　stone　and　other

obstructing　inborn　heredities；　brought　down　from　the　old　geologic

agesprejudices；　let　us　call　them。　　Prejudices　which　nothing

within　the　rock　itself　had　either　POWER　to　remove　or　any　DESIRE

to　remove。　　Will　you　take　note　of　that　phrase？



Y。M。　　Yes。　　I　have　written　it　down；　〃Prejudices　which

nothing　within　the　rock　itself　had　either　power　to　remove　or　any

desire　to　remove。〃　　Go　on。



O。M。　　Prejudices　must　be　removed　by　OUTSIDE　INFLUENCES　or

not　at　all。　　Put　that　down。



Y。M。　　Very　well；　〃Must　be　removed　by　outside　influences　or

not　at　all。〃　　Go　on。



O。M。　　The　iron's　prejudice　against　ridding　itself　of　the

cumbering　rock。　　To　make　it　more　exact；　the　iron's　absolute

INDIFFERENCE　as　to　whether　the　rock　be　removed　or　not。　　Then

comes　the　OUTSIDE　INFLUENCE　and　grinds　the　rock　to　powder　and

sets　the　ore　free。　　The　IRON　in　the　ore　is　still　captive。　　An

OUTSIDE　INFLUENCE　smelts　it　free　of　the　clogging　ore。　　The　iron

is　emancipated　iron；　now；　but　indifferent　to　further　progress。

An　OUTSIDE　INFLUENCE　beguiles　it　into　the　Bessemer　furnace　and

refines　it　into　steel　of　the　first　quality。　　It　is　educated；　now

its　training　is　complete。　　And　it　has　reached　its　limit。　　By　no

possible　process　can　it　be　educated　into　GOLD。　　Will　you　set　that

down？



Y。M。　　Yes。　　〃Everything　has　its　limitiron　ore　cannot　be

educated　into　gold。〃



O。M。　　There　are　gold　men；　and　tin　men；　and　copper　men；　and

leaden　mean；　and　steel　men；　and　so　onand　each　has　the

limitations　of　his　nature；　his　heredities；　his　training；　and　his

environment。　　You　can　build　engines　out　of　each　of　these　metals；

and　they　will　all　perform；　but　you　must　not　require　the　weak　ones

to　do　equal　work　with　the　strong　ones。　　In　each　case；　to　get　the

best　results；　you　must　free　the　metal　from　its　obstructing

prejudicial　ones　by　educationsmelting；　refining；　and　so　forth。



Y。M。　　You　have　arrived　at　man；　now？



O。M。　　Yes。　　Man　the　machineman　the　impersonal　engine。

Whatsoever　a　man　is；　is　due　to　his　MAKE；　and　to　the　INFLUENCES

brought　to　bear　upon　it　by　his　heredities；　his　habitat；　his

associations。　　He　is　moved；　directed；　COMMANDED；　by　EXTERIOR

influencesSOLELY。　　He　ORIGINATES　nothing；　not　even　a　thought。



Y。M。　　Oh；　come！　　Where　did　I　get　my　opinion　that　this　which

you　are　talking　is　all　foolishness？



O。M。　　It　is　a　quite　natural　opinionindeed　an　inevitable

opinionbut　YOU　did　not　create　the　materials　out　of　which　it　is

formed。　　They　are　odds　and　ends　of　thoughts；　impressions；

feelings；　gathered　unconsciously　from　a　thousand　books；　a

thousand　conversations；　and　from　streams　of　thought　and　feeling

which　have　flowed　down　into　your　heart　and　brain　out　of　the

hearts　and　brains　of　centuries　of　ancestors。　　PERSONALLY　you　did

not　create　even　the　smallest　microscopic　fragment　of　the

materials　out　of　which　your　opinion　is　made；　and　personally　you

cannot　claim　even　the　slender　merit　of　PUTTING　THE　BORROWED

MATERIALS　TOGETHER。　　That　was　done　AUTOMATICALLYby　your　mental

machinery；　in　strict　accordance　with　the　law　of　that　machinery's

construction。　　And　you　not　only　did　not　make　that　machinery

yourself；　but　you　have　NOT　EVEN　ANY　COMMAND　OVER　IT。



Y。M。　　This　is　too　much。　　You　think　I　could　have　formed　no

opinion　but　that　one？



O。M。　　Spontaneously？　　No。　　And　YOU　DID　NOT　FORM　THAT　ONE；

your　machinery　did　it　for　youautomatically　and　instantly；

without　reflection　or　the　need　of　it。



Y。M。　　Suppose　I　had　reflected？　　How　then？



O。M。　　Suppose　you　try？



Y。M。　　（AFTER　A　QUARTER　OF　AN　HOUR。）　　I　have　reflected。



O。M。　　You　mean　you　have　tried　to　change　your　opinionas　an

experiment？



Y。M。　　Yes。



O。M。　　With　success？



Y。M。　　No。　　It　remains　the　same；　it　is　impossible　to　change

it。



O。M。　　I　am　sorry；　but　you　see；　yourself；　that　your　mind　is

merely　a　machine；　nothing　more。　　You　have　no　command　over　it；　it

has　no　command　over　itselfit　is　worked　SOLELY　FROM　THE　OUTSIDE。

That　is　the　law　of　its　make；　it　is　the　law　of　all　machines。



Y。M。　　Can't　I　EVER　change　one　of　these　automatic　opinions？



O。M。　　No。　　You　can't　yourself；　but　EXTERIOR　INFLUENCES　can

do　it。



Y。M。　　And　exterior　ones　ONLY？



O。M。　　Yesexterior　ones　only。



Y。M。　　That　position　is　untenableI　may　say　ludicrously

untenable。



O。M。　　What　makes　you　think　so？



Y。M。　　I　don't　merely　think　it；　I　know　it。　　Suppose　I　resolve

to　enter　upon　a　course　of　thought；　and　study；　and　reading；　with

the　deliberate　purpose　of　changing　that　opinion；　and　suppose　I

succeed。　　THAT　is　not　the　work　of　an　exterior　impulse；　the　whole

of　it　is　mine　and　personal；　for　I　originated　the　project。



O。M。　　Not　a　shred　of　it。　　IT　GREW　OUT　OF　THIS　TALK　WITH　ME。

But　for　that　it　would　not　have　occurred　to　you。　　No　man　ever

originates　anything。　　All　his　thoughts；　all　his　impulses；　come

FR