evolution and ethics and other essays-第32章

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his　eyes　if　he　would　not　see　that　more　or　less　enduring　suffering　is
the　meed　of　both　vanquished　and　victor。　And　since　the　great　game　is
going　on　in　every　corner　of　the　world；　thousands　of　times　a　minute；
since；　were　our　ears　sharp　enough；　we　need　not　descend　to　the　gates　of
hell　to　hear

　　　　。　。　。　sospiri；　pianti；　ed　alti　guai。
　　　　Voci　alte　e　floche；　e　suon　di　man　con　elle

it　seems　to　follow　that；　if　the　world　is　governed　by　benevolence；　it
must　be　a　different　sort　of　benevolence　from　that　of　John　Howard。

But　the　old　Babylonians　wisely　symbolized　Nature　by　their　great
goddess　Istar；　who　combined　the　attributes　of　Aphrodite　with　those　of
Ares。　Her　terrible　aspect　is　not　to　be　ignored　or　covered　up　with
shams；　but　it　is　not　the　only　one。　If　the　optimism　of　Leibnitz　is　a
foolish　though　pleasant　dream；　the　pessimism　of　Schopenhauer　is　a
nightmare；　the　more　foolish　because　of　its　hideousness。　Error　which　is
not　pleasant　is　surely　the　worst　form　of　wrong。

＇201＇　This　may　not　be　the　best　of　all　possible　worlds；　but　to　say　that
it　is　the　worst　is　mere　petulant　nonsense。　A　worn…out　voluptuary　may
find　nothing　good　under　the　sun；　or　a　vain　and　inexperienced　youth；
who　cannot　get　the　moon　he　cries　for；　may　vent　his　irritation　in
pessimistic　moanings；　but　there　can　be　no　doubt　in　the　mind　of　any
reasonable　person　that　mankind　could；　would；　and　in　fact　do；　get　on
fairly　well　with　vastly　less　happiness　and　far　more　misery　than　find
their　way　into　the　lives　of　nine　people　out　of　ten。　If　each　and　all　of
us　had　been　visited　by　an　attack　of　neuralgia；　or　of　extreme　mental
depression；　for　one　hour　in　every　twenty…foura　supposition　which
many　tolerably　vigorous　people　know；　to　their　cost；　is　not
extravagantthe　burden　of　life　would　have　been　immensely　increased
without　much　practical　hindrance　to　its　general　course。　Men　with　any
manhood　in　them　find　life　quite　worth　living　under　worse　conditions
than　these。

There　is　another　sufficiently　obvious　fact；　which　renders　the
hypothesis　that　the　course　of　sentient　nature　is　dictated　by
malevolence　quite　untenable。　A　vast　multitude　of　pleasures；　and　these
among　the　purest　and　the　best；　are　superfluities；　bits　of　good　which
are　to　all　appearances　unnecessary　as　inducements　to　live；　and　are；　so
to　speak；　thrown　into　the　bargain　of　life。　To　those　who　experience
them；　few　delights　can　be　more　entrancing　than　such　as　are　afforded　by
natural　＇202＇　beauty；　or　by　the　arts；　and　especially　by　music；　but
they　are　products　of；　rather　than　factors　in；　evolution；　and　it　is
probable　that　they　are　known；　in　any　considerable　degree；　to　but　a
very　small　proportion　of　mankind。

The　conclusion　of　the　whole　matter　seems　to　be　that；　if　Ormuzd　has　not
had　his　way　in　this　world；　neither　has　Ahriman。　Pessimism　is　as　little
consonant　with　the　facts　of　sentient　existence　as　optimism。　If　we
desire　to　represent　the　course　of　nature　in　terms　of　human　thought；
and　assume　that　it　was　intended　to　be　that　which　it　is；　we　must　say
that　its　governing　principle　is　intellectual　and　not　moral；　that　it　is
a　materialized　logical　process；　accompanied　by　pleasures　and　pains；
the　incidence　of　which；　in　the　majority　of　cases；　has　not　the
slightest　reference　to　moral　desert。　That　the　rain　falls　alike　upon
the　just　and　the　unjust；　and　that　those　upon　whom　the　Tower　of　Siloam
fell　were　no　worse　than　their　neighbours；　seem　to　be　Oriental　modes　of
expressing　the　same　conclusion。

In　the　strict　sense　of　the　word　〃nature；〃　it　denotes　the　sum　of　the
phenomenal　world；　of　that　which　has　been；　and　is；　and　will　be；　and
society；　like　art；　is　therefore　a　part　of　nature。　　But　it　is
convenient　to　distinguish　those　parts　of　nature　in　which　man　plays　the
part　of　immediate　cause；　as　some　thing　apart；　and；　therefore；　society；
like　art；　＇203＇　is　usefully　to　be　considered　as　distinct　from　nature。
It　is　the　more　desirable；　and　even　necessary；　to　make　this
distinction；　since　society　differs　from　nature　in　having　a　definite
moral　object；　whence　it　comes　about　that　the　course　shaped　by　the
ethical　manthe　member　of　society　or　citizennecessarily　runs
counter　to　that　which　the　non…ethical　manthe　primitive　savage；　or
man　as　a　mere　member　of　the　animal　kingdomtends　to　adopt。　The　latter
fights　out　the　struggle　for　existence　to　the　bitter　end；　like　any
other　animal；　the　former　devotes　his　best　energies　to　the　object　of
setting　limits　to　the　struggle。*

In　the　cycle　of　phenomena　presented　by　the　life　of　man；　the　animal；　no
more　moral　end　is　discernible　than　in　that　presented　by　the　lives　of
the　wolf　and　of　the　deer。　However　imperfect　the　relics　of　prehistoric
men　may　be；　the　evidence　which　they　afford　clearly　tends　to　the
conclusion　that；　for　thousands　and　thousands　of　years；　before　the
origin　of　the　oldest　known　civilizations；　men　were　savages　of　a　very
low　type。　They　strove　with　their　enemies　and　their　competitors；　they
preyed　upon　things　weaker　or　less　cunning　than　themselves；　they　were
born；　multiplied　without　stint；　and　died；　for　thousands　of　generations
alongside　the　mammoth；　the　urus；　the　lion；　and　the　hyaena；　whose　lives
were　spent　in　the　same　way；　＇204＇　and　they　were　no　more　to　be　praised
or　blamed　on　moral　grounds；　than　their　less　erect　and　more　hairy
compatriots。

　　　　*　＇The　reader　will　observe　that　this　is　the　argument　of　the
　　　　Romanes　Lecture；　in　brief。1894。＇

As　among　these；　so　among　primitive　men；　the　weakest　and　stupidest　went
to　the　wall；　while　the　toughest　and　shrewdest；　those　who　were　best
fitted　to　cope　with　their　circumstances；　but　not　the　best　in　any　other
sense；　survived。　Life　was　a　continual　free　fight；　and　beyond　the
limited　and　temporary　relations　of　the　family；　the　Hobbesian　war　of
each　against　all　was　the　normal　state　of　existence。　The　human　species；
like　others；　plashed　and　floundered　amid　the　general　stream　of
evolution；　keeping　its　head　above　water　as　it　best　might；　and　thinking
neither　of　whence　nor　whither。

The　history　of　civilizationthat　is；　of　societyon　the　other　hand；　is
the　record　of　the　attempts　which　the　human　race　has　made　to　escape
from　this　position。　The　first　men　who　substituted　the　state　of　mutual
peace　for　that　of　mutual　war；　whatever　the　motive　which　impelled　them
to　take　that　step；　created　society。　But；　in　establishing　peace；　they
obviously　put　a　limit　upon　the　struggle　for　existence。　Between　the
members　of　that　society；　at　any　rate；　it　was　not　to　be　pursued　a
outrance。　And　of　all　the　successive　shapes　which　society　has　taken；
that　most　nearly　approaches　perfection　in　which　the　war　of　individual
against　individual　is　most　strictly　limited。

＇205＇　The　primitive　savage；　tutored　by　Istar；　appropriated　whatever
took　his　fancy；　and　killed　whomsoever　opposed　him；　if　he　could。　On　the
contrary；　the　ideal　of　the　ethical　man　is　to　limit　his　freedom　of
action　to　a　sphere　in　which　he　does　not　interfere　with　the　freedom　of
others；　he　seeks　the　common　weal　as　much　as　his　own；　and；　indeed；　as
an　essential　part　of　his　own　welfare。　Peace　is　both　end　and　means　with
him；　and　he　founds　his　life　on　a　more　or　less　complete　self…restraint；
which　is　the　negation　of　the　unlimited　struggle　for　existence。　He
tries　to　escape　from　his　place　in　the　animal　kingdom；　founded　on　the
free　development　of　the　principle　of　non…moral　evolution；　and　to
establish　a　kingdom　of　Man；　governed　upon　tile　principle　of　moral
evolution。　For　society　not　only　has　a　moral　end；　but　in　its
perfection；　social　life；　is　embodied　morality。

But　the　effort　of　ethical　man　to　work　towards　a　moral　end　by　no　means
abolished；　perhaps　has　hardly　modified；　the　deep…seated　organic
impulses　which　impel　the　natural　man　to　follow　his　non…moral　course。
One　of　the　most　essential　conditions；　if　not　the　chief　cause；　of　the
struggle　for　existence；　is　the　tendency　to　multiply　without　limit；
which　man　shares　with　all　living　things。　It　is　notable　that　〃increase
and　multiply〃　is　a　commandment　traditionally　much　older　than　the　ten；
and　that　it　is；　perhaps；　the　only　one　which　has　been　spontaneously　and
ex　animo　obeyed　by　＇206＇　the　great　majority　of　the　human　race。　But；　in
civilized　society；　the　inevitable　result　of　such　obedience　is　the
re…establishment；　in　all　its　intensity；　of　t