the origins of contemporary france-1-第86章

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Truly；　as　I　said　above；　we　are　in　a　convent







V。　　SOCIAL　CONTRACT；　SUMMARY。



Complete　triumph　and　last　excesses　of　classic　reason。　　…　How　it

becomes　monomania。　　…　Why　its　work　is　not　enduring。



These　articles　are　all　inevitable　consequences　of　the　social

contract。　　The　moment　I　enter　the　corporation　I　abandon　my　own

personality；　I　abandon；　by　this　act；　my　possessions；　my　children；　my

church；　and　my　opinions。　　I　cease　to　be　proprietor；　father；　Christian

and　philosopher。　　The　state　is　my　substitute　in　all　these　functions。　　In

place　of　my　will；　there　is　henceforth　the　public　will；　that　is　to　say；

in　theory；　the　mutable　absolutism　of　a　majority　counted　by　heads；

while　in　fact；　it　is　the　rigid　absolutism　of　the　assembly；　the

faction；　the　individual　who　is　custodian　of　the　public　authority。　　…

On　this　principle　an　outburst　of　boundless　conceit　takes　place。　　The

very　first　year　Grégoire　states　in　the　tribune　of　the　Constituent

Assembly；　〃we　might　change　religion　if　we　pleased；　but　we　have　no　such

desire。〃　A　little　later　the　desire　comes；　and　it　is　to　be　carried　out；

that　of　Holbach　is　proposed；　then　that　of　Rousseau；　and　they　dare　go

much　farther。　　In　the　name　of　Reason；　of　which　the　State　alone　is　the

representative　and　interpreter；　they　undertake　to　unmake　and　make

over；　in　conformity　with　Reason　and　with　Reason　only；　all　customs；

festivals；　ceremonies；　and　costumes；　the　era；　the　calendar；　weights

and　measures；　the　names　of　the　seasons；　months；　weeks　and　days；　of

places　and　monuments；　family　and　baptismal　names；　complimentary

titles；　the　tone　of　discourse；　the　mode　of　salutation；　of　greeting；　of

speaking　and　of　writing；　in　such　a　fashion；　that　the　Frenchman；　as

formerly　with　the　puritan　or　the　Quaker；　remodeled　even　in　his　inward

substance；　exposes；　through　the　smallest　details　of　his　conduct　and

exterior；　the　dominance　of　the　all…powerful　principle　which　refashions

his　being　and　the　inflexible　logic　which　controls　his　thoughts。　　This

constitutes　the　final　result　and　complete　triumph　of　the　classic

spirit。　　Installed　in　narrow　brains；　incapable　of　entertaining　two

related　ideas；　it　is　to　become　a　cold　or　furious　monomania；　fiercely

and　unrelentingly　destroying　a　past　it　curses；　and　attempting　to

establish　a　millennium；　and　all　in　the　name　of　an　illusory　contract；

at　once　anarchical　and　despotic；　which　unfetters　insurrection　and

justifies　dictatorship；　all　to　end　in　a　conflicting　social　order

resembling　sometimes　a　drunken　orgy　of　demons；　and　sometimes　a　Spartan

convent；　all　aimed　at　replacing　the　real　human　being；　slowly　formed　by

his　past　with　an　improvised　robot；　who；　through　its　own　debility；　will

collapse　when　the　external　and　mechanical　force　that　keeps　it　up　will

no　longer　sustain　it。



____________________________________________________________________



Notes：



＇1＇　Barrère；　〃Point　du　jour；〃　No。　　1；　（June　15；　1789）。　　〃　You　are

summoned　to　give　history　a　fresh　start。〃



＇2＇　Condorcet；　ibid。；　〃Tableau　des　progrès　de　l'esprit　humain；〃　the

tenth　epoch。　　〃The　methods　of　the　mathematical　sciences；　applied　to　new

objects；　have　opened　new　roads　to　the　moral　and　political　sciences。〃　…

Cf。　　Rousseau；　in　the　〃Contrat　Social；〃　the　mathematical　calculation　of

the　fraction　of　sovereignty　to　which　each　individual　is　entitled。



＇3＇　Saint…Lambert；　〃Catéchisme　universel；〃　the　first　dialogue；　p。

17。



＇4＇　Condorcet；　ibid。；　ninth　epoch。　　〃From　this　single　truth　the

publicists　have　been　able　to　derive　the　rights　of　man。〃



＇5＇　Rousseau　still　entertained　admiration　for　Montesquieu　but；　at

the　same　time；　with　some　reservation；　afterwards；　however；　the　theory

developed　itself；　every　historical　right　being　rejected。　　〃Then；〃　says

Condorcet；　（ibid。；　ninth　epoch）；　〃they　found　themselves　obliged

abandon　a　false　and　crafty　policy　which；　forgetful　of　men　deriving

equal　rights　through　their　nature；　attempted　at　one　time　to　estimate

those　allowed　to　them　according　to　extent　of　territory；　the

temperature　of　the　climate；　the　national　character；　the　wealth　of　the

population；　the　degree　of　perfection　of　their　commerce　and　industries；

and　again　to　apportion　the　same　rights　unequally　among　diverse　classes

of　men；　bestowing　them　on　birth；　riches　and　professions；　and　thus

creating　opposing　interests　and　opposing　powers；　for　the　purpose　of

subsequently　establishing　an　equilibrium　alone　rendered　necessary　by

these　institutions　themselves　and　which　the　danger　of　their　tendencies

by　no　means　corrects。〃



＇6＇　Condillac；　〃Logique。〃



＇7＇　〃Histoire　de　France　par　Estampes；〃　1789。　　（In　the　collection　of

engravings；　Bibliotheque　Nationale　de　Paris。）



＇8＇　Mme。　　de　Genlis；　〃Souvenirs　de　Félicie；〃　371…391。



＇9＇　De　Tocqueville；　〃L'Ancien　régime；〃　237。　　…　Cf。　　〃L'an　2440；〃　by

Mercier；　III。　　vols。　　One　of　these　lovely　daydreams　in　all　its　detail

may　be　found　here。　　The　work　was　first　published　in　1770。　　〃The

Revolution；〃　says　one　of　the　characters；　〃was　brought　about　without　an

effort；　through　the　heroism　of　a　great　man；　a　royal　philosopher　worthy

of　power；　because　he　despised　it；〃　etc。　　（Tome　II。　　109。）



＇10＇　〃Mémoires　de　M。　Bouillé；〃　p。70。　　…　Cf。　　Barante；　〃Tableau　de　la

litt。　　fran？aise　au　dixhuitième　siècle；〃　p。　　318。　　〃Civilization　and

enlightenment　were　supposed　to　have　allayed　all　passions　and　softened

all　characters。　　It　seemed　as　if　morality　had　become　easy　of　practice

and　that　the　balance　of　social　order　was　so　well　adjusted　that　nothing

could　disturb　it。〃



＇11＇　See　in　Rousseau；　in　the　〃Lettre　à　M。　de　Beaumont；〃　a　scene　of

this　description；　the　establishment　of　deism　and　toleration；

associated　with　a　similar　discourse。



＇12＇　Roux　et　Buchez；　〃Histoire　parlementaire；〃　IV。　　322；　the　address

made　on　the　11th　Feb。；　1790。　　〃What　an　affecting　and　sublime　address；〃

says　a　deputy。　　It　was　greeted　by　the　Assembly；　with　〃unparalleled

applause。〃　The　whole　address　ought　to　have　been　quoted　entire。



＇13＇　The　number　of　cerebral　cells　is　estimated　（the　cortical　layer）

at　twelve　hundred　millions　（in　1880）and　the　fibers　binding　them

together　at　four　thousand　millions。　　（Today　in　1990　it　is　thought　that

the　brain　contains　one　million　million　　neurons　and　many　times　more

fibers。　　SR。）



＇14＇　In　his　best…selling　book　〃The　Blind　Watchmaker〃；（Published

1986）　the　biologist　Richard　Dawkins　writes：　〃All　appearances　to　the

contrary；　the　only　watchmaker　in　nature　is　the　blind　forces　of

physics；　albeit　deployed　in　a　very　special　way。　　A　true　watchmaker　has

foresight：　he　designs　his　cogs　and　springs；　and　plans　their

interconnections；　with　a　future　purpose　in　his　mind's　eye。　　Natural

selection；　the　blind；　unconscious；　automatic　process　which　Darwin

discovered；　and　which　we　now　know　is　the　explanation　for　the　existence

and　apparently　purposeful　form　of　all　life；　has　no　purpose　in　mind。　　It

has　no　mind　and　no　mind's　eye。　　it　does　not　plan　for　the　future。　　It　has

no　vision；　no　foresight；　no　sight　at　all。　　If　it　can　be　said　to　play

the　role　of　watchmaker　in　nature；　it　is　the　blind　watchmaker。〃　（SR。）



＇15＇　Already　Michel　Montaigne　（1533…1592）　had　noted　man's　tendency

to　over…estimate　his　own　powers　of　judgment：



'So；　to　return　to　myself；　the　sole　feature　for　which　I　hold　myself

in　some　esteem　is　that　in　which　no　man　has　ever　thought　himself

defective。　　My　self…approbation　is　common；　and　shared　by　all。　　For　who

has　ever　considered　himself　lacking　in　common　sense？　This　would　be　a

self…contradictory　proposition。　　Lack　of　sense　is　a　disease　that　never

exists　when　it　is　seen；　it　is　most　tenacious　and　strong；　yet　the　first

glance　from　the　patient's　eye　pierces　it　through　and　disperses　it；　as

a　dense　mist　is　dispersed　by　the　sun's　beams。　　To　accuse　oneself　would

amount　to　self…absolution。　　There　never　was　a　street…porter　or　a　silly

woman　who　was　not　sure　of　having　as　much　sense　as　was　necessary。　　We

readily　recognize　in　others　a　superiority　in　courage；　physical

strength；　experien