the origins of contemporary france-1-第79章
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me。' 〃
Only madmen may sign such a treaty; but; as madmen; they are not in
a condition to negotiate and their signature is not binding。 Only the
vanquished on the ground; with swords pointed at their throats; may
accept such conditions but; being under constraint; their promise is
null and void。 Madmen and the conquered may for a thousand years have
bound over all subsequent generations; but a contract for a minor is
not a contract for an adult; and on the child arriving at the age of
Reason he belongs to himself。 We at last have become adults; and we
have only to make use of our rights to reduce the pretensions of this
self…styled authority to their just value。 It has power on its side
and nothing more。 But 〃a pistol in the hand of a brigand is also
power;〃 but do you think that I should be morally obliged to give him
my purse? I obey only compelled by force and I will have my purse
back as soon as I can take his pistol away from him。
VII: THE LOST CHILDREN。
The lost children of the philosophic party。 … Naigeon; Sylvain
Maréchal; Mably; Morelly。 … The entire discredit of traditions and
institutions derived from it。
We stop here。 It is pointless to follow the lost children of the
party; Naigeon and Sylvain Maréchal; Mably and Morelly; the fanatics
that set atheism up as an obligatory dogma and a superior duty; the
socialists who; to suppress egoism; propose a community of property;
and who found a republic in which any man that proposes to re…
establish 〃detestable ownership〃 shall be declared an enemy of
humanity; treated as a 〃raging maniac〃 and shut up in a dungeon for
life。 It is sufficient to have studied the operations of large armies
and of great campaigns。 With different gadgets and opposite
tactics; the various attacks have all had the same results; all the
institutions have been undermined from below。 The governing ideology
has withdrawn all authority from custom; from religion; from the
State。 Not only is it assumed that tradition in itself is false; but
again that it is harmful through its works; that it builds up
injustice on error; and that by rendering man blind it leads him to
oppress。 Henceforth it is outlawed。 Let this 〃loathsome thing〃 with
its supporters be crushed out。 It is the great evil of the human
species; and; when suppressed; only goodness will remain。
〃The time will then come'42' when the sun will shine only on free
men recognizing no other master than Reason; when tyrants and slaves;
and priests with their senseless or hypocritical instruments will
exist only in history and on the stage; when attention will no longer
be bestowed on them except to pity their victims and their dupes;
keeping oneself vigilant and useful through horror of their excesses;
and able to recognize and extinguish by the force of Reason the first
germs of superstition and of tyranny; should they ever venture to
reappear。〃
The millennium is dawning and it is once more Reason; which should
set it up。 In this way we shall owe everything to its salutary
authority; the foundation of the new order of things as well as the
destruction of the old one。
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NOTES :
'1' 〃Discours de la Methode。〃
'2'This is evident with Descartes in the second step he takes。 (The
theory of pure spirit; the idea of God; the proof of his existence;
the veracity of our intelligence demonstrated the veracity of God;
etc。)
'3' See Pascal; 〃Pensées〃 (on the origin of property and rank)。 The
〃Provinciales〃 (on homicide and the right to kill)。 Nicole;
〃Deuxième traité de la charité; et de l'amour…propre〃 (on the natural
man and the object of society)。 Bossuet; 〃Politique tirée de
l'Ecriture sainte。〃 La Bruyère; 〃Des Esprits forts。〃
'4' Cf。 Sir。 John Lubbock; 〃Origine de la Civilisation。〃
Gerand…Teulon; 〃Les Origines de la famille。〃
'5' The principle of caste in India; we see this in the contrast
between the Aryans and the aborigines; the Soudras and the Pariahs。
'6' In accordance with this principle the inhabitants of the
Sandwich Islands passed a law forbidding the sale of liquor to the
natives and allowing it to Europeans。 (De Varigny; 〃Quatorze ans aux
iles Sandwich。〃)
'7' Cf。 Le Play; 〃De l'Organization de la famille;〃 (the history of
a domain in the Pyrenees。)
'8' See; especially; in Brahmin literature the great metaphysical
poems and the Puranas。
'9' Montaigne (1533…92) apparently also had 'sympathetic
imagination' when he wrote: 〃I am most tenderly symphathetic towards
the afflictions of others;〃 (〃On Cruelty〃)。 (SR。)
'10' Voltaire; 〃Dic。 Phil。〃 the article on Punishments。
'11' 〃Resumé des cahiers;〃 by Prud'homme; preface; 1789。
'12' Voltaire; Dialogues; Entretiens entre A。 B。 C。
'13' Voltaire; 〃Dict。Phil。;〃 the article on Religion。 〃If there is
a hamlet to be governed it must have a religion。〃
'14' 〃Le rêve de d'Alembert;〃 by Diderot; passim。
'15' 〃If a misanthrope (a hater of mankind) had proposed to himself
to injure humanity what could he have invented better than faith in an
incomprehensible being; about which men never could come to any
agreement; and to which they would attach more importance than to
their own existence?〃 Diderot; 〃Entretien d'un philosophe avec la
Maréchale de 。。。。。〃 (And that is just what our Marxist sociologist;
psychologists etc have done in inventing a human being bereft of those
emotions which in other animals force them to give in to their
maternal; paternal and leadership instincts thereby making them happy
in the process。。 SR。)
'16' Cf。 〃Catéchisme Universel;〃 by Saint…Lambert; and the 〃Loi
naturelle ou Catéchisme du citoyen fran?ais;〃 by Volney。
'17' 〃Supplément au voyage de Bougainville。〃
'18' Cf。 〃Mémoires de Mm。 D'Epinay;〃 a conversation with Duclos and
Saint…Lambert at the house of Mlle。 Quinault。 … Rousseau's
〃Confessions;〃 part I; book V。 These are the same principles taught by
M。 de la Tavel to Mme。 De Warens。
'19' 〃Suite du rêve de d'Alembert。〃 〃Entretien entre Mlls。 de
Lespinasse et Bordeu。〃 … 〃Mémoires de Diderot;〃 a letter to Mlle。
Volant; III。 66。
'20' Cf。 his admirable tales; 〃Entretiens d'un père avec ses
enfants;〃 and 〃Le neveu de Rameau。〃
'21' Volney; ibid 。 〃The natural law 。 。 。 consists wholly of
events whose repetition may be observed through the senses and which
create a science as precise and accurate as geometry and mathematics。〃
'22' Helvétius; 〃De l'Esprit。〃 passim。
'23' Volney; ibid。 Chap。 III。 Saint…Lambert; ibid。 The first
dialogue。
'24' D'Holbach; 〃Systeme de la Nature;〃 II。 408 493。
'25' D'Holbach; 〃Système de la nature; 〃 I。 347。
'26' Diderot; 〃Supplément au voyage de Bougainville。〃
'27' Diderot; 〃Les Eleuthéromanes。〃
Et ses mains; ourdissant les entrailles du prêtre;
En feraient un cordon pour le dernier des rois。
Brissot: 〃Necessity being the sole title to property the result is
that when a want is satisfied man is no longer a property owner。 。 。 。
Two prime necessities are due to the animal constitution; food and
waste。 。 。 。 May men nourish themselves on their fallen creatures?
(Yes for) all beings may justly nourish themselves on any material
calculated to supply their wants 。 。 。 Man of nature; fulfill your
desire; give heed to your cravings; your sole masters and your only
guide。 Do you feel your veins throbbing with inward fires at the sight
of a charming creature? She is yours; your caresses are innocent and
your kisses pure。 Love alone entitles to enjoyment as hunger is the
warrant for property。〃 (An essay published in 1780; and reprinted in
1782 in the 〃Bibliothèque du Législateur;〃 quoted by Roux and Buchez
〃Histoire parlementaire;〃 XIII; 431。
'28' The words of Rousseau himself (〃Rous