lecture02-第3部分

快捷操作: 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! 如果本书没有阅读完，想下次继续接着阅读，可使用上方 "收藏到我的浏览器" 功能 和 "加入书签" 功能！





doctrine　have　often　enough　shown　a　temper　which；　psychologically



considered；　is　indistinguishable　from　religious　zeal。







But　so　very　broad　a　use　of　the　word　〃religion〃　would　be



inconvenient；　however　defensible　it　might　remain　on　logical



grounds。　　There　are　trifling；　sneering　attitudes　even　toward　the



whole　of　life；　and　in　some　men　these　attitudes　are　final　and



systematic。　　It　would　strain　the　ordinary　use　of　language　too



much　to　call　such　attitudes　religious；　even　though；　from　the



point　of　view　of　an　unbiased　critical　philosophy；　they　might



conceivably　be　perfectly　reasonable　ways　of　looking　upon　life。　



Voltaire；　for　example；　writes　thus　to　a　friend；　at　the　age　of



seventy…three：　　〃As　for　myself；〃　he　says；　〃weak　as　I　am；　I　carry



on　the　war　to　the　last　moment；　I　get　a　hundred　pike…thrusts；　I



return　two　hundred；　and　I　laugh。　　I　see　near　my　door　Geneva　on



fire　with　quarrels　over　nothing；　and　I　laugh　again；　and；　thank



God；　I　can　look　upon　the　world　as　a　farce　even　when　it　becomes　as



tragic　as　it　sometimes　does。　All　comes　out　even　at　the　end　of　the



day；　and　all　comes　out　still　more　even　when　all　the　days　are



over。〃







Much　as　we　may　admire　such　a　robust　old　gamecock　spirit　in　a



valetudinarian；　to　call　it　a　religious　spirit　would　be　odd。　　Yet



it　is　for　the　moment　Voltaire's　reaction　on　the　whole　of　life。　



Je　me'n　fiche　is　the　vulgar　French　equivalent　for　our　English



ejaculation　〃Who　cares？〃　　　And　the　happy　term　je　me'n　fichisme



recently　has　been　invented　to　designate　the　systematic



determination　not　to　take　anything　in　　life　too　solemnly。　



〃All　is　vanity〃　is　the　relieving　word　in　all　difficult　crises　for



this　mode　of　thought；　which　that　exquisite　literary　genius　Renan



took　pleasure；　in　his　later　days　of　sweet　decay；　in　putting　into



coquettishly　sacrilegious　forms　which　remain　to　us　as　excellent



expressions　of　the　〃all　is　vanity〃　state　of　mind。　　Take　the



following　passage；　for　examplewe　must　hold　to　duty；　even



against　the　evidence；　Renan　saysbut　he　then　goes　on：







〃There　are　many　chances　that　the　world　may　be　nothing　but　a　fairy



pantomime　of　which　no　God　has　care。　　We　must　therefore　arrange



ourselves　so　that　on　neither　hypothesis　we　shall　be　completely



wrong。　　We　must　listen　to　the　superior　voices；　but　in　such　a　way



that　if　the　second　hypothesis　were　true　we　should　not　have　been



too　completely　duped。　　If　in　effect　the　world　be　not　a　serious



thing；　it　is　the　dogmatic　people　who　will　be　the　shallow　ones；



and　the　worldly　minded　whom　the　theologians　now　call　frivolous



will　be　those　who　are　really　wise。







〃In　utrumque　paratus；　then。　　Be　ready　for　anythingthat　perhaps



is　wisdom。　　Give　ourselves　up；　according　to　the　hour；　to



confidence；　to　skepticism；　to　optimism；　to　irony　and　we　may　be



sure　that　at　certain　moments　at　least　we　shall　be　with　the　truth。



。　。　。　　Good…humor　is　a　philosophic　state　of　mind；　it　seems　to　say



to　Nature　that　we　take　her　no　more　seriously　than　she　takes　us。　



I　maintain　that　one　should　always　talk　of　philosophy　with　a



smile。　　We　owe　it　to　the　Eternal　to　be　virtuous　but　we　have　the



right　to　add　to　this　tribute　our　irony　as　a　sort　of　personal



reprisal。　　In　this　way　we　return　to　the　right　quarter　jest　for



jest；　we　play　the　trick　that　has　been　played　on　us。　Saint



Augustine's　phrase：　　Lord；　if　we　arc　deceived；　it　is　by　thee！



remains　a　fine　one；　well　suited　to　our　modern　feeling。　　Only　we



wish　the　Eternal　to　know　that　if　we　accept　the　fraud；　we　accept



it　knowingly　and　willingly。　　We　are　resigned　in　advance　to　losing



the　interest　on　our　investments　of　virtue；　but　we　wish　not　to



appear　ridiculous　by　having　counted　on　them　too　securely。〃＇12＇







＇12＇　Feuilles　detachees；　pp。　394…398　（abridged）。















Surely　all　the　usual　associations　of　the　word　〃religion〃　would



have　to　be　stripped　away　if　such　a　systematic　parti　pris　of　irony



were　also　to　be　denoted　by　the　name。　　For　common　men　〃religion；〃



whatever　more　special　meanings　it　may　have；　signifies　always　a



SERIOUS　state　of　mind。　　If　any　one　phrase　could　gather　its



universal　message；　that　phrase　would　be；　〃All　is　not　vanity　in



this　Universe；　whatever　the　appearances　may　suggest。〃　　If　it　can



stop　anything；　religion　as　commonly　apprehended　can　stop　just



such　chaffing　talk　as　Renan's。　　It　favors　gravity；　not　pertness；



it　says　〃hush〃　to　all　vain　chatter　and　smart　wit。







But　if　hostile　to　light　irony；　religion　is　equally　hostile　to



heavy　grumbling　and　complaint。　　The　world　appears　tragic　enough



in　some　religions；　but　the　tragedy　is　realized　as　purging；　and　a



way　of　deliverance　is　held　to　exist。　We　shall　see　enough　of　the



religious　melancholy　in　a　future　lecture；　but　melancholy；



according　to　our　ordinary　use　of　language；　forfeits　all　title　to



be　called　religious　when；　in　Marcus　Aurelius's　racy　words；　the



sufferer　simply　lies　kicking　and　screaming　after　the　fashion　of　a



sacrificed　pig。　　The　mood　of　a　Schopenhauer　or　a　Nietzscheand



in　a　less　degree　one　may　sometimes　say　the　same　of　our　own　sad



Carlylethough　often　an　ennobling　sadness；　is　almost　as　often



only　peevishness　running　away　with　the　bit　between　its　teeth。　



The　sallies　of　the　two　German　authors　remind　one；　half　the　time；



of　the　sick　shriekings　of　two　dying　rats。　　They　lack　the



purgatorial　note　which　religious　sadness　gives　forth。







There　must　be　something　solemn；　serious；　and　tender　about　any



attitude　which　we　denominate　religious。　　If　glad；　it　must　not



grin　or　snicker；　if　sad；　it　must　not　scream　or　curse。　　It　is



precisely　as　being　SOLEMN　experiences　that　I　wish　to　interest　you



in　religious　experiences。　　So　I　proposearbitrarily　again；　if



you　pleaseto　narrow　our　definition　once　more　by　saying　that　the



word　〃divine；〃　as　employed　therein；　shall　mean　for　us　not　merely



the　primal　and　enveloping　and　real；　for　that　meaning　if　taken



without　restriction　might　prove　too　broad。　　The　divine　shall　mean



for　us　only　such　a　primal　reality　as　the　individual　feels



impelled　to　respond　to　solemnly　and　gravely；　and　neither　by　a



curse　nor　a　jest。







But　solemnity；　and　gravity；　and　all　such　emotional　attributes；



admit　of　various　shades；　and；　do　what　we　will　with　our　defining；



the　truth　must　at　last　be　confronted　that　we　are　dealing　with　a



field　of　experience　where　there　is　not　a　single　conception　that



can　be　sharply　drawn。　　The　pretension；　under　such　conditions；　to



be　rigorously　〃scientific〃　or　〃exact〃　in　our　terms　would　only



stamp　us　as　lacking　in　understanding　of　our　task。　　Things　are



more　or　less　divine；　states　of　mind　are　more　or　less　religious；



reactions　are　more　or　less　total；　but　the　boundaries　are　always



misty；　and　it　is　everywhere　a　question　of　amount　and　degree。　



Nevertheless；　at　their　extreme　of　development；　there　can　never　be



any　question　as　to　what　experiences　are　religious。　　The　divinity



of　the　object　and　the　solemnity　of　the　reaction　are　too　well



marked　for　doubt。　　Hesitation　as　to　whether　a　state　of　mind　is



〃religious；〃　or　〃irreligious；〃　or　〃moral；〃　or　〃philosophical；〃　is



only　likely　to　arise　when　the　state　of　mind　is　weakly



characterized；　but　in　that　case　it　will　be　hardly　worthy　of　our



study　at　all。　　With　states　that　can　only　by　courtesy　be　called



religious　we　need　have　nothing　to　do；　our　only　profitable



business　being　with　what　nobody　can　possibly　feel　tempted　to　call



anything　else。　　I　said　in　my　former　lecture　that　we　learn　most



about　a　thing　when　we　view　it　under　a　microscope；　as　it　were；　or



in　its　most　exaggerated　form。　　This　is　as　true　of　religious



phenomena　as　of　any　other　kind　of　fact。　　The　only　cases　likely　to



be　profitable　enough　to　repay　our　attention　will　therefore　be



cases　where　the　religious　spirit　is　unmistakable　and　extreme。　



Its　fainter　manifestations　we　may　tranquilly　pass　by。　　Here；　for



example；　is　the　total　reaction　upon　life　of　Frederick　Locker



Lampson；　whose　autobiography；　entitled　　〃Confidences；〃　proves　him



to　have　been　a　most　amiable　man。







〃I　am　so　far　resigned　to　my　lot　that　I　feel　small　pain　at　the



thought　of　having　to　part　from　what　has　been　called　the　pleasant



habit　of　existence；　the　sweet　fable　of　life。　　I　would　not　care　to



live　my　wasted　life　over　again；　and　so　to　prolong　my　span。　



Strange　to　say；　I　have　but　little　wish　to　be　younger。　　I　submit



with　a　chill　at　my　heart。　　I　humbly　submit　because　it　is　the



Divine　Will；　and　my　appointed　destiny。　　I　dread　the　increase　of



infirmities　that　will　make　me　a　burden　to　those　around　me；　those



dear　to　me。　　No！　let　me　slip　away　as　quietly　and　comfortably　as　I



can。　　Let　the　end　come；　if　peace　come　with　it。







〃I　do　not　know　that　there　is　a　great　deal　to　be　said　for　this



world；　or　our　sojourn　here　upon　it；　but　it　has　pleased　God　so　to



place　us；　and　it　must　please　me　also。　　I　ask　you；　what　is　human



life？　　Is　not　it　a　maimed　happinesscare　and　weariness；



weariness　and　care；　with　the　baseless　expectation；　the　strange



cozenage　of　a　brighter　to…morrow？　　At　best　it　is　but　a　froward



child；　that　must　be　played　with　and　humored；　to　keep　it　quiet



till　it　falls　asleep；　and　then　the　care　is　over。〃＇13＇







＇13＇　Op。　cit。；　pp。　314；　313。















This　is　a　complex；　a　tender；　a　submissive；　and　a　graceful　state



of　mind。　　For　myself；　I　should　have　no　objection　to　calling　it　on



the　whole　a　religious　state　of　mind；　although　I　dare　say　that　to



many　of　you　it　may　seem　too　listless　and　half…hea