the origins of contemporary france-1-第69章

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research；　with　the　utmost　confidence；　without　either　reserve　or

precaution；　the　mathematical　method：　to　derive；　limit　and　isolate　a

few　of　the　simplest　generalized　notions　and　then；　setting　experience

aside；　comparing　them；　combining　them；　and；　from　the　artificial

compound　thus　obtained；　by　pure　reasoning；　deduce　all　the　consequences

they　involve。　　It　is　so　deeply　implanted　as　to　be　equally　encountered

in　both　centuries；　as　well　with　Descartes；　Malebranche＇38＇　and　the

partisans　of　innate　ideas　as　with　the　partisans　of　sensation；　of

physical　needs　and　of　primary　instinct；　Condillac；　Rousseau；

Helvétius；　and　later；　Condorcet；　Volney；　Sieyès；　Cabanis　and　Destutt

de　Tracy。　　In　vain　do　the　latter　assert　that　they　are　the　followers　of

Bacon　and　reject　（the　theory　of）　innate　ideas；　with　another　starting

point　than　the　Cartesians　they　pursue　the　same　path；　and；　as　with　the

Cartesians；　after　borrowing　a　little；　they　leave　experience　behind

them。　　In　this　vast　moral　and　social　world；　they　only　remove　the

superficial　bark　from　the　human　tree　with　its　innumerable　roots　and

branches；　they　are　unable　to　penetrate　to　or　grasp　at　anything　beyond

it；　their　hands　cannot　contain　more。　　They　have　no　suspicion　of

anything　outside　of　it；　the　classic　spirit；　with　limited

comprehension；　is　not　far…reaching。　　To　them　the　bark　is　the　entire

tree；　and；　the　operation　once　completed；　they　retire；　bearing　along

with　them　the　dry；　dead　epidermis；　never　returning　to　the　trunk

itself。　　Through　intellectual　incapacity　and　literary　pride　they　omit

the　characteristic　detail；　the　animating　fact；　the　specific

circumstance；　the　significant；　convincing　and　complete　example。

Scarcely　one　of　these　is　found　in　the　〃Logique〃　and　in　the　〃Traité　des

Sensations〃　by　Condillac；　in　the　〃Idéologie〃　by　Destutt　de　Tracy；　or

in　the　〃Rapports　du　Physique　et　du　Morale〃　by　Cabanis。＇39＇　Never；　with

them；　are　we　on　the　solid　and　visible　ground　of　personal　observation

and　narration；　but　always　in　the　air；　in　the　empty　space　of　pure

generalities。　　Condillac　declares　that　the　arithmetical　method　is

adapted　to　psychology　and　that　the　elements　of　our　ideas　can　be

defined　by　a　process　analogous　〃to　the　rule　of　three。〃　Sieyès　holds

history　in　profound　contempt；　and　believes　that　he　had　〃perfected　the

science　of　politics〃＇40＇　at　one　stroke；　through　an　effort　of　the

brain；　in　the　style　of　Descartes；　who　thus　discovers　analytic

geometry。　　Destutt　de　Tracy；　in　undertaking　to　comment　on　Montesquieu；

finds　that　the　great　historian　has　too　servilely　confined　himself　to

history；　and　attempts　to　do　the　work　over　again　by　organizing　society

as　it　should　be；　instead　of　studying　society　as　it　is。　　…　Never　were

such　systematic　and　superficial　institutions　built　up　with　such　a

moderate　extract　of　human　nature。＇41＇　Condillac；　employing　sensation；

animates　a　statue；　and　then；　by　a　process　of　pure　reasoning；　following

up　its　effects；　as　he　supposes；　on　smell；　taste；　hearing；　sight　and

touch；　fashions　a　complete　human　soul。　　Rousseau；　by　means　of　a

contract；　founds　political　association；　and；　with　this　given　idea；

pulls　down　the　constitution；　government　and　laws　of　every　balanced

social　system。　　In　a　book　which　serves　as　the　philosophical　testament

of　the　century；＇42＇　Condorcet　declares　that　this　method　is　the　〃final

step　of　philosophy；　that　which　places　a　sort　of　eternal　barrier

between　humanity　and　its　ancient　infantile　errors。〃　　　〃By　applying　it

to　morals；　politics　and　political　economy　the　moral　sciences　have

progressed　nearly　as　much　as　the　natural　sciences。　　With　its　help　we

have　been　able　to　discover　the　rights　of　man。〃　As　in　mathematics；　they

have　been　deduced　from　one　primordial　statement　only；　which　statement；

similar　to　a　first　principle　in　mathematics；　becomes　a　fact　of　daily

experience；　seen　by　all　and　therefore　self…evident。　　…　This　school　of

thought　is　to　endure　throughout　the　Revolution；　the　Empire　and　even

into　the　Restoration；＇43＇　together　with　the　tragedy　of　which　it　is　the

sister；　with　the　classic　spirit　their　common　parent；　a　primordial；

sovereign　power；　as　dangerous　as　it　is　useful；　as　destructive　as　it　is

creative；　as　capable　of　propagating　error　as　truth；　as　astonishing　in

the　rigidity　of　its　code；　the　narrow…mindedness　of　its　yoke　and　in　the

uniformity　of　its　works　as　in　the　duration　of　its　reign　and　the

universality　of　its　ascendancy。＇44＇



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Notes：



＇1＇　Voltaire；　〃Dict。　　Phil。；〃　see　the　articles　on　Language。　　〃Of　all

the　languages　in　Europe　the　French　is　most　generally　used　because　it

is　the　best　adapted　to　conversation。　　Its　character　is　derived　from

that　of　the　people　who　speak　it。　　For　more　than　a　hundred　and　fifty

years　past；　the　French　have　been　the　most　familiar　with　（good）　society

and　the　first　to　avoid　all　embarrassment　。　　。　　。　　It　is　a　better　currency

than　any　other；　even　if　it　should　lack　weight。〃



＇2＇　HIST：　honnête　homme　means　gentleman。　　（SR。）



＇3＇　Descartes；　ed。　　Cousin；　XI。　　333；　I。　　121；　。　　。　　。　　Descartes

depreciates　〃simple　knowledge　acquired　without　the　aid　of　reflection；

such　as　languages；　history；　geography；　and；　generally；　whatever　is　not

based　on　experience。　　。　　。　　。　　It　is　no　more　the　duty　of　an　honest　man　to

know　Greek　or　Latin　than　to　know　the　Swiss　or　Breton　languages；　nor

the　history　of　the　Romano…Germanic　empire　any　more　than　of　the

smallest　country　in　Europe。〃



＇4＇　Molière；　〃Les　Femmes　Savantes；〃　and　〃La　Critique　de　l'école　des

femmes。〃　The　parts　of　Dorante　with　Lycidas　and　of　Clitandre　with

Trissotin。



＇5＇　The　learned　Huet；　（1630…1721）；　true　to　the　taste　of　the　sixteenth

century；　describes　this　change　very　well　from　his　point　of　view。　　〃When

I　entered　the　world　of　letters　these　were　still　flourishing；　great

reputations　maintained　their　supremacy。　　I　have　seen　letters　decline

and　finally　reach　an　almost　entire　decay。　　For　I　scarcely　know　a　person

of　the　present　time　that　one　can　truly　call　a　savant。〃　The　few

Benedictines　like　Ducange　and　Mabillon；　and　later；　the　academician

Fréret；　the　president　Bouhier　of　Dijon；　in　short；　the　veritable

erudites　exercise　no　influence。



＇6＇　Nicole；　〃Oeuvres　morales；〃　in　the　second　essay　on　Charity　and

Self…love；　142。





＇7＇　Voltaire；　〃Dialogues；〃　〃L'intendant　des　menus　et　l'abbé　Grizel；〃

129。



＇8＇　Maury　adds　with　his　accustomed　coarseness；　〃We；　in　the　French

Academy；　looked　upon　the　members　of　the　Academy　of　Sciences　as　our

valets。〃　　…　These　valets　at　that　time　consisted　of　Lavoisier；

Fourcroy；　Lagrange；　Laplace；　etc。　　（A　narrative　by　Joseph　de　Maistre；

quote　by　Sainte…Beuve；　〃Causeries　du　lundi；〃　IV。　　283。）



＇9＇　This　description　makes　me　think　of　the　contemporary　attitudes

pejoratively　called　〃politically　correctness。〃　　Thus　the　drawings…room

audience　of　the　18th　century　have　today　been　replaced　by　the

〃political　correct〃　elite　holding　sway　in　teacher　training　schools；

schools　of　journalism；　the　media　and　hence　among　the　television

public。　　The　same　mechanism　which　moved　the　upper　class　in　the　18th

century　moves　it　in　the　20th　century。。　　（S。R。）



＇10＇　Today　in　1999　we　may　speak　of　the　TV　mold　forced　by　the　measured

popularity　or　〃ratings〃of　the　programs。　　（SR。



＇11＇　Vaugelas；　〃Remarques　sur　la　langue　fran？aise：〃　〃It　is　the　mode

of　speech　of　the　most　sensible　portion　of　the　court；　as　well　as　the

mode　of　writing　of　the　most　sensible　authors　of　the　day。　　It　is　better

to　consult　women　and　those　who　have　not　studied　than　those　who　are

very　learned　in　Greek　and　in　Latin。〃



＇12＇　One　of　the　causes　of　the　fall　and　discredit　of　the　Marquis

d'Argenson　in　the　eighteenth　century；　was　his　habit　of　using　these。



＇13＇　Vaugelas；　ibid。。　　〃Although　we　may　have　eliminated　one…half　of

his　phrases　and　terms　we　nevertheless　obtain　in　the　other　half　all　the

riches　of　which　we　boast　and　of　which　we　make　a　display。〃　…　Compare

together　a　lexicon　of　two　or　three　writers　of　th