lecture02-第3章

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restoring　the　level；　when　disturbed；　of　the　divine　justice。　　It



is　impossible　to　tilt　the　beam。　　All　the　tyrants　and　proprietors



and　monopolists　of　the　world　in　vain　set　their　shoulders　to　heave



the　bar。　　Settles　forevermore　the　ponderous　equator　to　its　line；



and　man　and　mote；　and　star　and　sun；　must　range　to　it；　or　be



pulverized　by　the　recoil。〃＇11＇







＇11＇　Lectures　and　Biographical　Sketches；　1868；　p。　186。















Now　it　would　be　too　absurd　to　say　that　the　inner　experiences　that



underlie　such　expressions　of　faith　as　this　and　impel　the　writer



to　their　utterance　are　quite　unworthy　to　be　called　religious



experiences。　　The　sort　of　appeal　that　Emersonian　optimism；　on　the



one　hand；　and　Buddhistic　pessimism；　on　the　other；　make　to　the



individual　and　the　son　of　response　which　he　makes　to　them　in　his



life　are　in　fact　indistinguishable　from；　and　in　many　respects



identical　with；　the　best　Christian　appeal　and　response。　　We　must



therefore；　from　the　experiential　point　of　view；　call　these



godless　or　quasi…godless　creeds　〃religions〃；　and　accordingly　when



in　our　definition　of　religion　we　speak　of　the　individual's



relation　to　〃what　he　considers　the　divine；〃　we　must　interpret　the



term　〃divine〃　very　broadly；　as　denoting　any　object　that　is　god…



LIKE；　whether　it　be　a　concrete　deity　or　not。　　But　the　term



〃godlike；〃　if　thus　treated　as　a　floating　general　quality；　becomes



exceedingly　vague；　for　many　gods　have　flourished　in　religious



history；　and　their　attributes　have　been　discrepant　enough。　　What



then　is　that　essentially　godlike　qualitybe　it　embodied　in　a



concrete　deity　or　notour　relation　to　which　determines　our



character　as　religious　men？　　It　will　repay　us　to　seek　some　answer



to　this　question　before　we　proceed　farther。







For　one　thing；　gods　are　conceived　to　be　first　things　in　the　way



of　being　and　power。　　They　overarch　and　envelop；　and　from　them



there　is　no　escape。　　What　relates　to　them　is　the　first　and　last



word　in　the　way　of　truth。　　Whatever　then　were　most　primal　and



enveloping　and　deeply　true　might　at　this　rate　be　treated　as



godlike；　and　a　man's　religion　might　thus　be　identified　with　his



attitude；　whatever　it　might　be；　toward　what　he　felt　to　be　the



primal　truth。







Such　a　definition　as　this　would　in　a　way　be　defensible。　Religion；



whatever　it　is；　is　a　man's　total　reaction　upon　life；　so　why　not



say　that　any　total　reaction　upon　life　is　a　religion？　Total



reactions　are　different　from　casual　reactions；　and　total



attitudes　are　different　from　usual　or　professional　attitudes。　　To



get　at　them　you　must　go　behind　the　foreground　of　existence　and



reach　down　to　that　curious　sense　of　the　whole　residual　cosmos　as



an　everlasting　presence；　intimate　or　alien；　terrible　or　amusing；



lovable　or　odious；　which　in　some　degree　everyone　possesses。　　This



sense　of　the　world's　presence；　appealing　as　it　does　to　our



peculiar　individual　temperament；　makes　us　either　strenuous　or



careless；　devout　or　blasphemous；　gloomy　or　exultant；　about　life



at　large；　and　our　reaction；　involuntary　and　inarticulate　and



often　half　unconscious　as　it　is；　is　the　completest　of　all　our



answers　to　the　question；　〃What　is　the　character　of　this　universe



in　which　we　dwell？〃　　It　expresses　our　individual　sense　of　it　in



the　most　definite　way。　　Why　then　not　call　these　reactions　our



religion；　no　matter　what　specific　character　they　may　have？　



Non…religious　as　some　of　these　reactions　may　be；　in　one　sense　of



the　word　〃religious；〃　they　yet　belong　to　THE　GENERAL　SPHERE　OF



THE　RELIGIOUS　LIFE；　and　so　should　generically　be　classed　as



religious　reactions。　　〃He　believes　in　No…God；　and　he　worships



him；〃　said　a　colleague　of　mine　of　a　student　who　was　manifesting　a



fine　atheistic　ardor；　and　the　more　fervent　opponents　of　Christian



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