贝壳电子书 > 英文原著电子书 > the origins of contemporary france-1 >

第79章

the origins of contemporary france-1-第79章

小说: the origins of contemporary france-1 字数: 每页4000字

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页,按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页,按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部!
————未阅读完?加入书签已便下次继续阅读!




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has withdrawn all authority from custom; from religion; from the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。



_______________________________________________________________



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

返回目录 上一页 下一页 回到顶部 0 0

你可能喜欢的