heretics-第2章

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a　Cartesian　or　a　Hegelian；　a　materialist　or　a　spiritualist。



Let　me；　however；　take　a　random　instance。　　At　any　innocent　tea…table



we　may　easily　hear　a　man　say；　〃Life　is　not　worth　living。〃



We　regard　it　as　we　regard　the　statement　that　it　is　a　fine　day；



nobody　thinks　that　it　can　possibly　have　any　serious　effect　on　the　man



or　on　the　world。　　And　yet　if　that　utterance　were　really　believed；



the　world　would　stand　on　its　head。　　Murderers　would　be　given



medals　for　saving　men　from　life；　firemen　would　be　denounced



for　keeping　men　from　death；　poisons　would　be　used　as　medicines；



doctors　would　be　called　in　when　people　were　well；　the　Royal



Humane　Society　would　be　rooted　out　like　a　horde　of　assassins。



Yet　we　never　speculate　as　to　whether　the　conversational　pessimist



will　strengthen　or　disorganize　society；　for　we　are　convinced



that　theories　do　not　matter。







This　was　certainly　not　the　idea　of　those　who　introduced　our　freedom。



When　the　old　Liberals　removed　the　gags　from　all　the　heresies；　their　idea



was　that　religious　and　philosophical　discoveries　might　thus　be　made。



Their　view　was　that　cosmic　truth　was　so　important　that　every　one



ought　to　bear　independent　testimony。　　The　modern　idea　is　that　cosmic



truth　is　so　unimportant　that　it　cannot　matter　what　any　one　says。



The　former　freed　inquiry　as　men　loose　a　noble　hound；　the　latter　frees



inquiry　as　men　fling　back　into　the　sea　a　fish　unfit　for　eating。



Never　has　there　been　so　little　discussion　about　the　nature　of　men



as　now；　when；　for　the　first　time；　any　one　can　discuss　it。　　The　old



restriction　meant　that　only　the　orthodox　were　allowed　to　discuss　religion。



Modern　liberty　means　that　nobody　is　allowed　to　discuss　it。



Good　taste；　the　last　and　vilest　of　human　superstitions；



has　succeeded　in　silencing　us　where　all　the　rest　have　failed。



Sixty　years　ago　it　was　bad　taste　to　be　an　avowed　atheist。



Then　came　the　Bradlaughites；　the　last　religious　men；　the　last　men



who　cared　about　God；　but　they　could　not　alter　it。　　It　is　still　bad



taste　to　be　an　avowed　atheist。　　But　their　agony　has　achieved　just　this



that　now　it　is　equally　bad　taste　to　be　an　avowed　Christian。



Emancipation　has　only　locked　the　saint　in　the　same　tower　of　silence



as　the　heresiarch。　　Then　we　talk　about　Lord　Anglesey　and　the　weather；



and　call　it　the　complete　liberty　of　all　the　creeds。







But　there　are　some　people；　neverthelessand　I　am　one　of　them



who　think　that　the　most　practical　and　important　thing　about　a　man



is　still　his　view　of　the　universe。　　We　think　that　for　a　landlady



considering　a　lodger；　it　is　important　to　know　his　income；　but　still



more　important　to　know　his　philosophy。　　We　think　that　for　a　general



about　to　fight　an　enemy；　it　is　important　to　know　the　enemy's　numbers；



but　still　more　important　to　know　the　enemy's　philosophy。



We　think　the　question　is　not　whether　the　theory　of　the　cosmos



affects　matters；　but　whether　in　the　long　run；　anything　else　affects　them。



In　the　fifteenth　century　men　cross…examined　and　tormented　a　man



because　he　preached　some　immoral　attitude；　in　the　nineteenth　century　we



feted　and　flattered　Oscar　Wilde　because　he　preached　such　an　attitude；



and　then　broke　his　heart　in　penal　servitude　because　he　carried　it　out。



It　may　be　a　question　which　of　the　two　methods　was　the　more　cruel；



there　can　be　no　kind　of　question　which　was　the　more　ludicrous。



The　age　of　the　Inquisition　has　not　at　least　the　disgrace　of　having



produced　a　society　which　made　an　idol　of　the　very　same　man　for　preaching



the　very　same　things　which　it　made　him　a　convict　for　practising。







Now；　in　our　time；　philosophy　or　religion；　our　theory；　that　is；



about　ultimate　things；　has　been　driven　out；　more　or　less　simultaneously；



from　two　fields　which　it　used　to　occupy。　　General　ideals　used



to　dominate　literature。　　They　have　been　driven　out　by　the　cry



of　〃art　for　art's　sake。〃　　General　ideals　used　to　dominate　politics。



They　have　been　driven　out　by　the　cry　of　〃efficiency；〃　which



may　roughly　be　translated　as　〃politics　for　politics'　sake。〃



Persistently　for　the　last　twenty　years　the　ideals　of　order　or　liberty



have　dwindled　in　our　books；　the　ambitions　of　wit　and　eloquence



have　dwindled　in　our　parliaments。　　Literature　has　purposely　become



less　political；　politics　have　purposely　become　less　literary。



General　theories　of　the　relation　of　things　have　thus　been　extruded



from　both；　and　we　are　in　a　position　to　ask；　〃What　have　we　gained



or　lost　by　this　extrusion？　　Is　literature　better；　is　politics　better；



for　having　discarded　the　moralist　and　the　philosopher？〃







When　everything　about　a　people　is　for　the　time　growing　weak



and　ineffective；　it　begins　to　talk　about　efficiency。　　So　it　is　that　when　a



man's　body　is　a　wreck　he　begins；　for　the　first　time；　to　talk　about　health。



Vigorous　organisms　talk　not　about　their　processes；　but　about　their　aims。



There　cannot　be　any　better　proof　of　the　physical　efficiency　of　a　man



than　that　he　talks　cheerfully　of　a　journey　to　the　end　of　the　world。



And　there　cannot　be　any　better　proof　of　the　practical　efficiency



of　a　nation　than　that　it　talks　constantly　of　a　journey　to　the　end



of　the　world；　a　journey　to　the　Judgment　Day　and　the　New　Jerusalem。



There　can　be　no　stronger　sign　of　a　coarse　material　health



than　the　tendency　to　run　after　high　and　wild　ideals；　it　is



in　the　first　exuberance　of　infancy　that　we　cry　for　the　moon。



None　of　the　strong　men　in　the　strong　ages　would　have　understood



what　you　meant　by　working　for　efficiency。　　Hildebrand　would　have　said



that　he　was　working　not　for　efficiency；　but　for　the　Catholic　Church。



Danton　would　have　said　that　he　was　working　not　for　efficiency；



but　for　liberty；　equality；　and　fraternity。　　Even　if　the　ideal



of　such　men　were　simply　the　ideal　of　kicking　a　man　downstairs；



they　thought　of　the　end　like　men；　not　of　the　process　like　paralytics。



They　did　not　say；　〃Efficiently　elevating　my　right　leg；　using；



you　will　notice；　the　muscles　of　the　thigh　and　calf；　which　are



in　excellent　order；　I〃　Their　feeling　was　quite　different。



They　were　so　filled　with　the　beautiful　vision　of　the　man　lying



flat　at　the　foot　of　the　staircase　that　in　that　ecstasy　the　rest



followed　in　a　flash。　　In　practice；　the　habit　of　generalizing



and　idealizing　did　not　by　any　means　mean　worldly　weakness。



The　time　of　big　theories　was　the　time　of　big　results。　　In　the　era　of



sentiment　and　fine　words；　at　the　end　of　the　eighteenth　century；　men　were



really　robust　and　effective。　　The　sentimentalists　conquered　Napoleon。



The　cynics　could　not　catch　De　Wet。　　A　hundred　years　ago　our　affairs



for　good　or　evil　were　wielded　triumphantly　by　rhetoricians。



Now　our　affairs　are　hopelessly　muddled　by　strong；　silent　men。



And　just　as　this　repudiation　of　big　words　and　big　visions　has



brought　forth　a　race　of　small　men　in　politics；　so　it　has　brought



forth　a　race　of　small　men　in　the　arts。　　Our　modern　politicians　claim



the　colossal　license　of　Caesar　and　the　Superman；　claim　that　they　are



too　practical　to　be　pure　and　too　patriotic　to　be　moral；　but　the　upshot



of　it　all　is　that　a　mediocrity　is　Chancellor　of　the　Exchequer。



Our　new　artistic　philosophers　call　for　the　same　moral　license；



for　a　freedom　to　wreck　heaven　and　earth　with　their　energy；



but　the　upshot　of　it　all　is　that　a　mediocrity　is　Poet　Laureate。



I　do　not　say　that　there　are　no　stronger　men　than　these；　but　will



any　one　say　that　there　are　any　men　stronger　than　those　men　of　old



who　were　dominated　by　their　philosophy　and　steeped　in　their　religion？



Whether　bondage　be　better　than　freedom　may　be　discussed。



But　that　their　bondage　came　to　more　than　our　freedom　it　will　be