lecture20-第7章

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own　over…belief　（which　will　be；　I　confess；　of　a　somewhat　pallid



kind；　as　befits　a　critical　philosopher）；　and　you　will；　I　hope；



also　add　your　over…beliefs；　and　we　shall　soon　be　in　the　varied



world　of　concrete　religious　constructions　once　more。　　For　the



moment；　let　me　dryly　pursue　the　analytic　part　of　the　task。







Both　thought　and　feeling　are　determinants　of　conduct；　and　the



same　conduct　may　be　determined　either　by　feeling　or　by　thought。　



When　we　survey　the　whole　field　of　religion；　we　find　a　great



variety　in　the　thoughts　that　have　prevailed　there；　but　the



feelings　on　the　one　hand　and　the　conduct　on　the　other　are　almost



always　the　same；　for　Stoic；　Christian；　and　Buddhist　saints　are



practically　indistinguishable　in　their　lives。　　The　theories　which



Religion　generates；　being　thus　variable；　are　secondary；　and　if



you　wish　to　grasp　her　essence；　you　must　look　to　the　feelings　and



the　conduct　as　being　the　more　constant　elements。　　It　is　between



these　two　elements　that　the　short　circuit　exists　on　which　she



carries　on　her　principal　business；　while　the　ideas　and　symbols



and　other　institutions　form　loop…lines　which　may　be　perfections



and　improvements；　and　may　even　some　day　all　be　united　into　one



harmonious　system；　but　which　are　not　to　be　regarded　as　organs



with　an　indispensable　function；　necessary　at　all　times　for



religious　life　to　go　on。　　This　seems　to　me　the　first　conclusion



which　we　are　entitled　to　draw　from　the　phenomena　we　have　passed



in　review。







The　next　step　is　to　characterize　the　feelings。　　To　what



psychological　order　do　they　belong？







The　resultant　outcome　of　them　is　in　any　case　what　Kant　calls　a



〃sthenic〃　affection；　an　excitement　of　the　cheerful；　expansive；



〃dynamogenic〃　order　which；　like　any　tonic；　freshens　our　vital



powers。　　In　almost　every　lecture；　but　especially　in　the　lectures



on　Conversion　and　on　Saintliness；　we　have　seen　how　this　emotion



overcomes　temperamental　melancholy　and　imparts　endurance　to　the



Subject；　or　a　zest；　or　a　meaning；　or　an　enchantment　and　glory　to



the　common　objects　of　life。＇340＇　　The　name　of　〃faith…state；〃　by



which　Professor　Leuba　designates　it；　is　a　good　one。＇341＇　　It　is　a



biological　as　well　as　a　psychological　condition；　and　Tolstoy　is



absolutely　accurate　in　classing　faith　among　the　forces　BY　WHICH



MEN　LIVE。＇342＇　　The　total　absence　of　it；　anhedonia；＇343＇　means



collapse。







＇340＇　Compare；　for　instance；　pages　200；　215；　219；　222；



244…250；　270…273。







＇341＇　American　Journal　of　Psychology；　vii。　345。







＇342＇　Above；　p。　181。







＇343＇　Above；　p。　143。















The　faith…state　may　hold　a　very　minimum　of　intellectual　content。　



We　saw　examples　of　this　in　those　sudden　raptures　of　the　divine



presence；　or　in　such　mystical　seizures　as　Dr。　Bucke



described。＇344＇　　It　may　be　a　mere　vague　enthusiasm；　half



spiritual；　half　vital；　a　courage；　and　a　feeling　that　great　and



wondrous　things　are　in　the　air。＇345＇







＇344＇　Above；　p。　391。







＇345＇　Example：　　Henri　Perreyve　writes　to　Gratry：　　〃I　do　not　know



how　to　deal　with　the　happiness　which　you　aroused　in　me　this



morning。　It　overwhelms　me；　I　want　to　DO　something；　yet　I　can　do



nothing　and　am　fit　for　nothing。　。　。　。　I　would　fain　do　GREAT



THINGS。〃　　Again；　after　an　inspiring　interview；　he　writes：　　〃I



went　homewards；　intoxicated　with　joy；　hope；　and　strength。　　I



wanted　to　feed　upon　my　happiness　in　solitude　far　from　all　men。　



It　was　late；　but；　unheeding　that；　I　took　a　mountain　path　and　went



on　like　a　madman；　looking　at　the　heavens；　regardless　of　earth。　



Suddenly　an　instinct　made　me　draw　hastily　back　I　was　on　the



very　edge　of　a　precipice；　one　step　more　and　I　must　have　fallen。　



I　took　fright　and　gave　up　my　nocturnal　promenade。〃　　A。　Gratry：　



Henri　Perreyve；　London；　1872；　pp。　92；　89。















This　primacy；　in　the　faith…state；　of　vague　expansive　impulse　over



direction　is　well　expressed　in　Walt　Whitman's　lines　（Leaves　of



Grass；　1872；　p。　190）：　　







〃O　to　confront　night；　storms；　hunger；ridicule；　accidents；



　　　　　rebuffs；　as　the　trees　and　animals　do。　。　。　。　　



Dear　Camerado！　I　confess　I　have　urged　you　onward　with　me；　and　　　　



　　　　still　urge　you；　without　the　least　idea　what　is　our　　　　　　　　　　　



　　　　destination　　



Or　whether　we　shall　be　victorious；　or　utterly　quell'd　and



defeated。〃











This　readiness　for　great　things；　and　this　sense　that　the　world　by



its　importance；　wonderfulness；　etc。；　is　apt　for　their　production；



would　seem　to　be　the　undifferentiated　germ　of　all　the　higher



faiths。　　Trust　in　our　own　dreams　of　ambition；　or　in　our　country's



expansive　destinies；　and　faith　in　the　providence　of　God；　all　have



their　source　in　that　onrush　of　our　sanguine　impulses；　and　in　that



sense　of　the　exceedingness　of　the　possible　over　the　real。







When；　however；　a　positive　intellectual　content　is　associated　with



a　faith…state；　it　gets　invincibly　stamped　in　upon　belief；＇346＇



and　this　explains　the　passionate　loyalty　of　religious　persons



everywhere　to　the　minutest　details　of　their　so　widely　differing



creeds。　　Taking　creeds　and　faith…state　together；　as　forming



〃religions；〃　and　treating　these　as　purely　subjective　phenomena；



without　regard　to　the　question　of　their　〃truth；〃　we　are　obliged；



on　account　of　their　extraordinary　influence　upon　action　and



endurance；　to　class　them　amongst　the　most　important　biological



functions　of　mankind。　　Their　stimulant　and　anaesthetic　effect　is



so　great　that　Professor　Leuba；　in　a　recent　article；＇347＇　goes　so



far　as　to　say　that　so　long　as　men　can　USE　their　God；　they　care



very　little　who　he　is；　or　even　whether　he　is　at　all。　　〃The　truth



of　the　matter　can　be　put；〃　says　Leuba；　〃in　this　way：　　GOD　IS　NOT



KNOWN；　HE　IS　NOT　UNDERSTOOD；　HE　IS　USEDsometimes　as



meat…purveyor；　sometimes　as　moral　support；　sometimes　as　friend；



sometimes　as　an　object　of　love。　　If　he　proves　himself　useful；　the



religious　consciousness　asks　for　no　more　than　that。　　Does　God



really　exist？　　How　does　he　exist？　　What　is　he？　　are　so　many



irrelevant　questions。　　Not　God；　but　life；　more　life；　a　larger；



richer；　more　satisfying　life；　is；　in　the　last　analysis；　the　end



of　religion。　　The　love　of　life；　at　any　and　every　level　of



development；　is　the　religious　impulse。〃＇348＇







＇346＇　Compare　Leuba：　　Loc。　cit。；　pp。　346…349。







＇347＇　The　Contents　of　Religious　Consciousness；　in　The　Monist；　xi。



536；　July　1901。







＇348＇　Loc。　cit。；　pp。　571；　572；　abridged。　　See；　also；　this



writer's　extraordinarily　true　criticism　of　the　notion　that



religion　primarily　seeks　to　solve　the　intellectual　mystery　of　the



world。　　Compare　what　W。　Bender　says　（in　his　Wesen　der　Religion；



Bonn；　1888；　pp。　85；　38）：　　〃Not　the　question　about　God；　and　not



the　inquiry　into　the　origin　and　purpose　of　the　world　is　religion；



but　the　question　about　Man。　　All　religious　views　of　life　are



anthropocentric。〃　　〃Religion　is　that　activity　of　the　human



impulse　towards　self…preservation　by　means　of　which　Man　seeks　to



carry　his　essential　vital　purposes　through　against　the　adverse



pressure　of　the　world　by　raising　himself　freely　towards　the



world's　ordering　and　governing　powers　when　the　limits　of　his　own



strength　are　reached。〃　　The　whole　book　is　little　more　than　a



development　of　these　words。















At　this　purely　subjective　rating；　therefore；　Religion　must　be



considered　vindicated　in　a　certain　way　from　the　attacks　of　her



critics。　　It　would　seem　that　she　cannot　be　a　mere　anachronism　and



survival；　but　must　exert　a　permanent　function；　whether　she　be