bentham-第13章

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two　latter　entirely。　This　is　pre…eminently　the　case　with　Bentham：　he　both　wrote　and　felt　as　if　the　moral　standard　ought　not　only　to　be　paramount　（which　it　ought）；　but　to　be　alone；　as　if　it　ought　to　be　the　sole　master　of　all　our　actions；　and　even　of　all　our　sentiments；　as　if　either　to　admire　or　like；　or　despise　or　dislike　a　person　for　any　action　which　neither　does　good　nor　harm；　or　which　does　not　do　a　good　or　a　harm　proportioned　to　the　sentiment　entertained；　were　an　injustice　and　a　prejudice。　He　carried　this　so　far；　that　there　were　certain　phrases　which；　being　expressive　of　what　he　considered　to　be　this　groundless　liking　or　aversion；　he　could　not　bear　to　hear　pronounced　in　his　presence。　Among　these　phrases　were　those　of　good　and　bad　taste。　He　thought　it　an　insolent　piece　of　dogmatism　in　one　person　to　praise　or　condemn　another　in　a　matter　of　taste：　as　if　men's　likings　and　dislikings；　on　things　in　themselves　indifferent；　were　not　full　of　the　most　important　inferences　as　to　every　point　of　their　character；　as　if　a　person's　tastes　did　not　show　him　to　be　wise　or　a　fool；　cultivated　or　ignorant；　gentle　or　rough；　sensitive　or　callous；　generous　or　sordid；　benevolent　or　selfish；　conscientious　or　depraved。　　　　　Connected　with　the　same　topic　are　Bentham's　peculiar　opinions　on　poetry。　Much　more　has　been　said　than　there　is　any　foundation　for；　about　his　contempt　for　the　pleasures　of　imagination；　and　for　the　fine　arts。　Music　was　throughout　life　his　favourite　amusement；　painting；　sculpture　and　the　other　arts　addressed　to　the　eye；　he　was　so　far　from　holding　in　any　contempt；　that　he　occasionally　recognizes　them　as　means　employable　for　important　social　ends；　though　his　ignorance　of　the　deeper　springs　of　human　character　prevented　him　（as　it　prevents　most　Englishmen）　from　suspecting　how　profoundly　such　things　enter　into　the　moral　nature　of　man；　and　into　the　education　both　of　the　individual　and　of　the　race。　But　towards　poetry　in　the　narrower　sense；　that　which　employs　the　language　of　words；　he　entertained　no　favour。　Words；　he　thought；　were　perverted　from　their　proper　office　when　they　were　employed　in　uttering　anything　but　precise　logical　truth。　He　says；　somewhere　in　his　works；　that；　'quantity　of　pleasure　being　equal；　push…pin　is　as　good　as　poetry'　　but　this　is　only　a　paradoxical　way　of　stating　what　he　would　equally　have　said　of　the　things　which　he　most　valued　and　admired。　Another　aphorism　is　attributed　to　him；　which　is　much　more　characteristic　of　his　view　of　this　subject：　'All　poetry　is　misrepresentation'。　Poetry；　he　thought；　consisted　essentially　in　exaggeration　for　effect：　in　proclaiming　some　one　view　of　a　thing　very　emphatically；　and　suppressing　all　the　limitations　and　qualifications。　This　trait　of　character　seems　to　us　a　curious　example　of　what　Mr　Carlyle　strikingly　calls　'the　completeness　of　limited　men'。　Here　is　a　philosopher　who　is　happy　within　his　narrow　boundary　as　no　man　of　indefinite　range　ever　was：　who　flatters　himself　that　he　is　so　completely　emancipated　from　the　essential　law　of　poor　human　intellect；　by　which　it　can　only　see　one　thing　at　a　time　well；　that　he　can　even　turn　round　upon　the　imperfection　and　lay　a　solemn　interdict　upon　it。　Did　Bentham　really　suppose　that　it　is　in　poetry　only　that　propositions　cannot　be　exactly　true；　cannot　contain　in　themselves　all　the　limitations　and　qualifications　with　which　they　require　to　be　taken　when　applied　to　practice？　We　have　seen　how　far　his　own　prose　propositions　are　from　realizing　this　Utopia：　and　even　the　attempt　to　approach　it　would　be　incompatible　not　with　poetry　merely；　but　with　oratory；　and　popular　writing　of　every　kind。　Bentham's　charge　is　true　to　the　fullest　extent；　all　writing　which　undertakes　to　make　men　feel　truths　as　well　as　see　them；　does　take　up　one　point　at　a　time；　does　seek　to　impress　that；　to　drive　that　home；　to　make　it　sink　into　and　colour　the　whole　mind　of　the　reader　or　hearer。　It　is　justified　in　doing　so；　if　the　portion　of　truth　which　it　thus　enforces　be　that　which　is　called　for　by　the　occasion。　All　writing　addressed　to　the　feelings　has　a　natural　tendency　to　exaggeration；　but　Bentham　should　have　remembered　that　in　this；　as　in　many　things；　we　must　aim　at　too　much；　to　be　assured　of　doing　enough。　　　　　From　the　same　principle　in　Bentham　came　the　intricate　and　involved　style；　which　makes　his　later　writings　books　for　the　student　only；　not　the　general　reader。　It　was　from　his　perpetually　aiming　at　impracticable　precision。　Nearly　all　his　earlier　and　many　parts　of　his　later　writings；　are　models；　as　we　have　already　observed；　of　light；　playful　and　popular　style：　a　Benthamiana　might　be　made　of　passages　worthy　of　Addison　or　Goldsmith。　But　in　his　later　years　and　more　advanced　studies；　he　fell　into　a　Latin　or　German　structure　of　sentence；　foreign　to　the　genius　of　the　English　language。　He　could　not　bear；　for　the　sake　of　clearness　and　the　reader's　ease；　to　say；　as　ordinary　men　are　content　to　do；　a　little　more　than　the　truth　in　one　sentence；　and　correct　it　in　the　next。　The　whole　of　the　qualifying　remarks　which　he　intended　to　make；　he　insisted　upon　imbedding　as　parentheses　in　the　very　middle　of　the　sentence　itself。　And　thus　the　sense　being　so　long　suspended；　and　attention　being　required　to　the　accessory　ideas　before　the　principal　idea　had　been　properly　seized；　it　became　difficult；　without　some　practice；　to　make　out　the　train　of　thought。　It　is　fortunate　that　so　many　of　the　most　important　parts　of　his　writings　are　free　from　this　defect。　We　regard　it　as　a　reductio　ad　absurdum　of　his　objection　to　poetry。　In　trying　to　write　in　a　manner　against　which　the　same　objection　should　not　lie；　he　could　stop　nowhere　short　of　utter　unreadableness；　and　after　all　attained　no　more　accuracy　than　is　compatible　with　opinions　as　imperfect　and　one…sided　as　those　of　any　poet　or　sentimentalist　breathing。　Judge　then　in　what　state　literature　and　philosophy　would　be；　and　what　chance　they　would　have　of　influencing　the　multitude；　if　his　objection　were　allowed；　and　all　styles　of　writing　banished　which　would　not　stand　his　test。　　　　　We　must　here　close　this　brief　and　imperfect　view　of　Bentham　and　his　doctrines；　in　which　many　parts　of　the　subject　have　been　entirely　untouched；　and　no　part　done　justice　to；　but　which　at　least　proceeds　from　an　intimate　familiarity　with　his　writings；　and　is　nearly　the　first　attempt　at　an　impartial　estimate　of　his　character　as　a　philosopher；　and　of　the　result　of　his　labours　to　the　world。　　　　　After　every　abatement；　and　it　has　been　seen　whether　we　have　made　our　abatements　sparingly　　there　remains　to　Bentham　an　indisputable　place　among　the　great　intellectual　benefactors　of　mankind。　His　writings　will　long　form　an　indispensable　part　of　the　education　of　the　highest　order　of　practical　thinkers；　and　the　collected　edition　of　them　ought　to　be　in　the　hands　of　everyone　who　would　either　understand　his　age；　or　take　any　beneficial　part　in　the　great　business　of　it。




NOTE：

1。　See　the　'Principles　of　Civil　Law'　contained　in　Part　II　of　his　collected　works。







the　End