lectures11-13-第2章

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！





his　comrades　offer　various　examples。　　His　person　becomes　the　seat



of　a　mass　of　interferences；　and　he　may　for　a　time　simply　waver；



because　no　one　emotion　prevails。　　There　is　a　pitch　of　intensity；



though；　which；　if　any　emotion　reach　it；　enthrones　that　one　as



alone　effective　and　sweeps　its　antagonists　and　all　their



inhibitions　away。　　The　fury　of　his　comrades'　charge；　once　entered



on；　will　give　this　pitch　of　courage　to　the　soldier；　the　panic　of



their　rout　will　give　this　pitch　of　fear。　　In　these　sovereign



excitements；　things　ordinarily　impossible　grow　natural　because



the　inhibitions　are　annulled。　　Their　〃no！　no！〃　not　only　is　not



heard；　it　does　not　exist。　　Obstacles　are　then　like　tissue…paper



hoops　to　the　circus　riderno　impediment；　the　flood　is　higher



than　the　dam　they　make。







〃Lass　sie　betteln　gehn　wenn　sie　hungrig　sind！〃　cries　the



grenadier；　frantic　over　his　Emperor's　capture；　when　his　wife　and



babes　are　suggested；　and　men　pent　into　a　burning　theatre　have



been　known　to　cut　their　way　through　the　crowd　with　knives。＇144＇







＇144＇　〃'Love　would　not　be　love；'　says　Bourget；　'unless　it　could



carry　one　to　crime。'　　And　so　one　may　say　that　no　passion　would　be



a　veritable　passion　unless　it　could　carry　one　to　crime。〃　　　



（Sighele：　　Psychollogie　des　sectes；　p。　136。）　In　other　words；



great　passions　annul　the　ordinary　inhibitions　set　by



〃conscience。〃　　And　conversely；　of　all　the　criminal　human　beings；



the　false；　cowardly；　sensual；　or　cruel　persons　who　actually　live；



there　is　perhaps　not　one　whose　criminal　impulse　may　not　be　at



some　moment　overpowered　by　the　presence　of　some　other　emotion　to



which　his　character　is　also　potentially　liable；　provided　that



other　emotion　be　only　made　intense　enough。　　Fear　is　usually　the



most　available　emotion　for　this　result　in　this　particular　class



of　persons。　　It　stands　for　conscience；　and　may　here　be　classed



appropriately　as　a　〃higher　affection。〃　　If　we　are　soon　to　die；　or



if　we　believe　a　day　of　judgment　to　be　near　at　hand；　how　quickly



do　we　put　our　moral　house　in　orderwe　do　not　see　how　sin　can



evermore　exert　temptation　over　us！　Old…fashioned　hell…fire



Christianity　well　knew　how　to　extract　from　fear　its　full



equivalent　in　the　way　of　fruits　for　repentance；　and　its　full



conversion　value。















One　mode　of　emotional　excitability　is　exceedingly　important　in



the　composition　of　the　energetic　character；　from　its　peculiarly



destructive　power　over　inhibitions。　　I　mean　what　in　its　lower



form　is　mere　irascibility；　susceptibility　to　wrath；　the　fighting



temper；　and　what　in　subtler　ways　manifests　itself　as　impatience；



grimness；　earnestness；　severity　of　character。　Earnestness　means



willingness　to　live　with　energy；　though　energy　bring　pain。　　The



pain　may　be　pain　to　other　people　or　pain　to　one's　selfit　makes



little　difference；　for　when　the　strenuous　mood　is　on　one；　the　aim



is　to　break　something；　no　matter　whose　or　what。　　Nothing



annihilates　an　inhibition　as　irresistibly　as　anger　does　it；　for；



as　Moltke　says　of　war；　destruction　pure　and　simple　is　its



essence。　　This　is　what　makes　it　so　invaluable　an　ally　of　every



other　passion。　　The　sweetest　delights　are　trampled　on　with　a



ferocious　pleasure　the　moment　they　offer　themselves　as　checks　to



a　cause　by　which　our　higher　indignations　are　elicited。　　It　costs



then　nothing　to　drop　friendships；　to　renounce　long…rooted



privileges　and　possessions；　to　break　with　social　ties。　　Rather　do



we　take　a　stern　joy　in　the　astringency　and　desolation；　and　what



is　called　weakness　of　character　seems　in　most　cases　to　consist　in



the　inaptitude　for　these　sacrificial　moods；　of　which　one's　own



inferior　self　and　its　pet　softnesses　must　often　be　the　targets



and　the　victims。＇145＇







＇145＇　Example：　　Benjamin　Constant　was　often　marveled　at　as　an



extraordinary　instance　of　superior　intelligence　with　inferior



character。　　He　writes　（Journal；　Paris；　1895；　p。　56）；　〃I　am　tossed



and　dragged　about　by　my　miserable　weakness。　　Never　was　anything



so　ridiculous　as　my　indecision。　　Now　marriage；　now　solitude；　now



Germany；　now　France　hesitation　upon　hesitation；　and　all　because



at　bottom　I　am　UNABLE　TO　GIVE　UP　ANYTHING。〃　　He　can't　〃get　mad〃



at　any　of　his　alternatives；　and　the　career　of　a　man　beset　by　such



an　all…round　amiability　is　hopeless。















So　far　I　have　spoken　of　temporary　alterations　produced　by



shifting　excitements　in　the　same　person。　　But　the　relatively



fixed　differences　of　character　of　different　persons　are　explained



in　a　precisely　similar　way。　　In　a　man　with　a　liability　to　a



special　sort　of　emotion；　whole　ranges　of　inhibition　habitually



vanish；　which　in　other　men　remain　effective；　and　other　sorts　of



inhibition　take　their　place。　　When　a　person　has　an　inborn　genius



for　certain　emotions；　his　life　differs　strangely　from　that　of



ordinary　people；　for　none　of　their　usual　deterrents　check　him。　



Your　mere　aspirant　to　a　type　of　character；　on　the　contrary；　only



shows；　when　your　natural　lover；　fighter；　or　reformer；　with　whom



the　passion　is　a　gift　of　nature；　comes　along；　the　hopeless



inferiority　of　voluntary　to　instinctive　action。　　He　has



deliberately　to　overcome　his　inhibitions；　the　genius　with　the



inborn　passion　seems　not　to　feel　them　at　all；　he　is　free　of　all



that　inner　friction　and　nervous　waste。　　To　a　Fox；　a　Garibaldi；　a



General　Booth；　a　John　Brown；　a　Louise　Michel；　a　Bradlaugh；　the



obstacles　omnipotent　over　those　around　them　are　as　if



non…existent。　　Should　the　rest　of　us　so　disregard　them；　there



might　be　many　such　heroes；　for　many　have　the　wish　to　live　for



similar　ideals；　and　only　the　adequate　degree　of



inhibition…quenching　fury　is　lacking。＇146＇







＇146＇　The　great　thing　which　the　higher　excitabilities　give　is



COURAGE；　and　the　addition　or　subtraction　of　a　certain　amount　of



this　quality　makes　a　different　man；　a　different　life。　　Various



excitements　let　the　courage　loose。　　Trustful　hope　will　do　it；



inspiring　example　will　do　it；　love　will　do　it；　wrath　will　do　it。　



In　some　people　it　is　natively　so　high　that　the　mere　touch　of



danger　does　it；　though　danger　is　for　most　men　the　great　inhibitor



of　action。　　〃Love　of　adventure〃　becomes　in　such　persons　a　ruling



passion。　　〃I　believe；〃　says　General　Skobeleff；　〃that　my　bravery



is　simply　the　passion　and　at　the　same　time　the　contempt　of



danger。　　The　risk　of　life　fills　me　with　an　exaggerated　rapture。



The　fewer　there　are　to　share　it；　the　more　I　like　it。　　The



participation　of　my　body　in　the　event　is　required　to　furnish　me



an　adequate　excitement。　　Everything　intellectual　appears　to　me　to



be　reflex；　but　a　meeting　of　man　to　man；　a　duel；　a　danger　into



which　I　can　throw　myself　headforemost；　attracts　me；　moves　me；



intoxicates　me。　　I　am　crazy　for　it；　I　love　it；　I　adore　it。　　I　run



after　danger　as　one　runs　after　women；　I　wish　it　never　to　stop。



Were　it　always　the　same；　it　would　always　bring　me　a　new　pleasure。







When　I　throw　myself　into　an　adventure　in　which　I　hope　to　find　it；



my　heart　palpitates　with　the　uncertainty；　I　could　wish　at　once　to



have　it　appear　and　yet　to　delay。　　A　sort　of　painful　and　delicious



shiver　shakes　me；　my　entire　nature　runs　to　meet　the　peril　with　an



impetus　that　my　will　would　in　vain　try　to　resist。　（Juliette　Adam：　



Le　General　Skobeleff；　Nouvelle　Revue；　1886；　abridged。）　Skobeleff



seems　to　have　been　a　cruel　egoist；　but　the　disinterested



Garibaldi；　if　one　may　judge　by　his　〃Memorie；〃　lived　in　an



unflagging　emotion　of　similar　danger…seeking　excitement。















The　difference　between　willing　and　merely　wishing；