the critique of judgement-第49章

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　body。　　　Suppose　that　some　one　tells　the　following　story：　An　Indian　at　an　Englishman's　table　in　Surat　saw　a　bottle　of　ale　opened；　and　all　the　beer　turned　into　froth　and　flowing　out。　The　repeated　exclamations　of　the　Indian　showed　his　great　astonishment。　〃Well；　what　is　so　wonderful　in　that？〃　asked　the　Englishman。　〃Oh；　I'm　not　surprised　myself；〃　said　the　Indian；　〃at　its　getting　out；　but　at　how　you　ever　managed　to　get　it　all　in。〃　At　this　we　laugh；　and　it　gives　us　hearty　pleasure。　This　is　not　because　we　think　ourselves；　maybe；　more　quick…witted　than　this　ignorant　Indian；　or　because　our　understanding　here　brings　to　our　notice　any　other　ground　of　delight。　It　is　rather　that　the　bubble　of　our　expectation　was　extended　to　the　full　and　suddenly　went　off　into　nothing。　Or；　again；　take　the　case　of　the　heir　of　a　wealthy　relative　being　minded　to　make　preparations　for　having　the　funeral　obsequies　on　a　most　imposing　scale；　but　complaining　that　things　would　not　go　right　for　him；　because　（as　he　said）　〃the　more　money　I　give　my　mourners　to　look　sad；　the　more　pleased　they　look。〃　At　this　we　laugh　outright；　and　the　reason　lies　in　the　fact　that　we　had　an　expectation　which　is　suddenly　reduced　to　nothing。　We　must　be　careful　to　observe　that　the　reduction　is　not　one　into　the　positive　contrary　of　an　expected　object…for　that　is　always　something；　and　may　frequently　pain　us…but　must　be　a　reduction　to　nothing。　For　where　a　person　arouses　great　expectation　by　recounting　some　tale；　and　at　the　close　its　untruth　becomes　at　once　apparent　to　us；　we　are　displeased　at　it。　So　it　is；　for　instance；　with　the　tale　of　people　whose　hair　from　excess　of　grief　is　said　to　have　turned　white　in　a　single　night。　On　the　other　hand；　if　a　wag；　wishing　to　cap　the　story；　tells　with　the　utmost　circumstantiality　of　a　merchant's　grief；　who；　on　his　return　journey　from　India　to　Europe　with　all　his　wealth　in　merchandise；　was　obliged　by　stress　of　storm　to　throw　everything　overboard；　and　grieved　to　such　an　extent　that　in　the　selfsame　night　his　wig　turned　grey；　we　laugh　and　enjoy　the　tale。　This　is　because　we　keep　for　a　time　playing　on　our　own　mistake　about　an　object　otherwise　indifferent　to　us；　or　rather　on　the　idea　we　ourselves　were　following　out；　and；　beating　it　to　and　fro；　just　as　if　it　were　a　ball　eluding　our　grasp；　when　all　we　intend　to　do　is　just　to　get　it　into　our　hands　and　hold　it　tight。　Here　our。　gratification　is。　not　excited　by　a　knave　or　a　fool　getting　a　rebuff：　for；　even　on　its　own　account；　the　latter　tale　told　with　an　air　of　seriousness　would　of　itself　be　enough　to　set　a　whole　table　into　roars　of　laughter；　and　the　other　matter　would　ordinarily　not　be　worth　a　moment's　thought。　　　It　is　observable　that　in　all　such　cases　the　joke　must　have　something　in　it　capable　of　momentarily　deceiving　us。　Hence；　when　the　semblance　vanishes　into　nothing；　the　mind　looks　back　in　order　to　try　it　over　again；　and　thus　by　a　rapidly　succeeding　tension　and　relaxation　it　is　jerked　to　and　fro　and　put　in　oscillation。　As　the　snapping　of　what　was；　as　it　were；　tightening　up　the　string　takes　place　suddenly　（not　by　a　gradual　loosening）；　the　oscillation　must　bring　about　a　mental　movement　and　a　sympathetic　internal　movement　of　the　body。　This　continues　involuntarily　and　produces　fatigue；　but　in　so　doing　it　also　affords　recreation　（the　effects　of　a　motion　conducive　to　health）。　　　For　supposing　we　assume　that　some　movement　in　the　bodily　organs　is　associated　sympathetically　with　all　our　thoughts；　it　is　readily　intelligible　how　the　sudden　act　above　referred　to；　of　shifting　the　mind　now　to　one　standpoint　and　now　to　the　other；　to　enable　it　to　contemplate　its　object；　may　involve　a　corresponding　and　reciprocal　straining　and　slackening　of　the　elastic　parts　of　our　intestines；　which　communicates　itself　to　the　diaphragm　（and　resembles　that　felt　by　ticklish　people）；　in　the　course　of　which　the　lungs　expel　the　air　with　rapidly　succeeding　interruptions；　resulting　in　a　movement　conducive　to　health。　This　alone；　and　not　what　goes　on　in　the　mind；　is　the　proper　cause　of　the　gratification　in　a　thought　that　at　bottom　represents　nothing。　Voltaire　said　that　heaven　has　given　us　two　things　to　compensate　us　for　the　many　miseries　of　life；　hope　and　sleep。　He　might　have　added　laughter　to　the　list…if　only　the　means　of　exciting　it　in　men　of　intelligence　were　as　ready　to　hand；　and　the　wit　or　originality　of　humour　which　it　requires　were　not　just　as　rare　as　the　talent　is　common　for　inventing　stuff　that　splits　the　head；　as　mystic　speculators　do；　or　that　breaks　your　neck；　as　the　genius　does；　or　that　harrows　the　heart　as　sentimental　novelists　do　（aye；　and　moralists　of　the　same　type）。　　　We　may；　therefore　as　I　conceive；　make　Epicurus　a　present　of　the　point　that　all　gratification；　even　when　occasioned　by　concepts　that　evoke　aesthetic　ideas；　is　animal；　i。e。；　bodily　sensation。　For　from　this　admission　the　spiritual　feeling　of　respect　for　moral　ideas；　which　is　not　one　of　gratification；　but　a　self…esteem　（an　esteem　for　humanity　within　us）　that　raises　us　above　the　need　of　gratification；　suffers　not　a　whit…no　nor　even　the　less　noble　feeling　of　taste。　　　In　naivete　we　meet　with　a　joint　product　of　both　the　above。　Naivete　is　the　breaking　forth　of　the　ingenuousness　originally　natural　to　humanity；　in　opposition　to　the　art　of　disguising　oneself　that　has　become　a　second　nature。　We　laugh　at　the　simplicity　that　is　as　yet　a　stranger　to　dissimulation；　but　we　rejoice　the　while　over　the　simplicity　of　nature　that　thwarts　that　art。　We　await　the　commonplace　manner　of　artificial　utterance；　thoughtfully　addressed　to　a　fair　show；　and　lo！　nature　stands　before　us　in　unsullied　innocence…nature　that　we　were　quite　unprepared　to　meet；　and　that　he　who　laid　it　bare　had　also　no　intention　of　revealing。　That　the　outward　appearance；　fair　but　false；　that　usually　assumes　such　importance　in　our　judgement；　is　here；　at　a　stroke；　turned　to　a　nullity；　that；　as　it　were；　the　rogue　in　us　is　nakedly　exposed；　calls　forth　the　movement　of　the　mind；　in　two　successive　and　opposite　directions；　agitating　the　body　at　the　same　time　with　wholesome　motion。　But　that　something　infinitely　better　than　any　accepted　code　of　manners；　namely　purity　of　mind　（or　at　least　a　vestige　of　such　purity）；　has　not　become　wholly　extinct　in　human　nature；　infuses　seriousness　and　reverence　into　this　play　of　judgement。　But　since　it　is　only　a　manifestation　that　obtrudes　itself　for　a　moment；　and　the　veil　of　a　dissembling　art　is　soon　drawn　over　it　again；　there　enters　into　the　above　feelings　a　touch　of　pity。　This　is　an　emotion　of　tenderness；　playful　in　its　way；　that　thus　readily　admits　of　combination　with　this　sort　of　genial　laughter。　And；　in　fact；　this　emotion　is　as　a　rule　associated　with　it；　and；　at　the　same　time；　is　wont　to　make　amends　to　the　person　who　provides　such　food　for　our　merriment　for　his　embarrassment　at　not　being　wise　after　the　manner　of　men。　For　that…reason　art　of　being　naif　is　a　contradiction。　But　it　is　quite　possible　to　give　a　representation　of　naivete　in　a　fictitious　personage；　and；　rare　as　the　art　is；　it　is　a　fine　art。　With　this　naivete　we　must　not　confuse　homely　simplicity；　which　only　avoids　spoiling　nature　by　artificiality；　because　it　has　no　notion　of　the　conventions　of　good　society。　　　The　humorous　manner　may　also　be　ranked　as　a　thing　which　in　its　enlivening　influence　is　clearly　allied　to　the　gratification　provoked　by　laughter。　It　belongs　to　originality　of　mind　（des　Geistes）；　though　not　to　the　talent　for　fine　art。　Humour；　in　a　good　sense；　means　the　talent　for　being　able　to　put　oneself　at　will　into　a　certain　frame　of　mind　in　which　everything　is　estimated　on　lines　that　go　quite　off　the　beaten　track　（a　topsy…turvy　view　of　things）；　and　yet　on　lines　that　follow　certain　principles；　rational　in　the　case　of　such　a　mental　temperament。　A　person　with　whom　such　variations　are　not　a　matter　of　choice　is　said　to　have　humours；　but　if　a　person　can　assume　them　voluntarily　and　of　set　purpose　（on　behalf　of　a　lively　presentation　drawn　from　a　ludicrous　contrast）；　he　and　his　way　of　speaking　are　termed　humorous。　This　manner　belongs；　however；　to　agreeable　rather　than　to　fine　art；　because　the　object　of　the　latter　must　always　have　an　evident　intrinsic　worth　about　it；　and　thus　demands　a　certain　seriousness　in　its　presentation；　as　taste　does　in　estimating　it。

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