orthodoxy-第6章

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Mr。　McCabe　thinks　me　a　slave　because　I　am　not　allowed　to　believe



in　determinism。　　I　think　Mr。　McCabe　a　slave　because　he　is　not



allowed　to　believe　in　fairies。　　But　if　we　examine　the　two　vetoes　we



shall　see　that　his　is　really　much　more　of　a　pure　veto　than　mine。　



The　Christian　is　quite　free　to　believe　that　there　is　a　considerable



amount　of　settled　order　and　inevitable　development　in　the　universe。　



But　the　materialist　is　not　allowed　to　admit　into　his　spotless　machine



the　slightest　speck　of　spiritualism　or　miracle。　　Poor　Mr。　McCabe



is　not　allowed　to　retain　even　the　tiniest　imp；　though　it　might　be



hiding　in　a　pimpernel。　　The　Christian　admits　that　the　universe　is



manifold　and　even　miscellaneous；　just　as　a　sane　man　knows　that　he



is　complex。　　The　sane　man　knows　that　he　has　a　touch　of　the　beast；



a　touch　of　the　devil；　a　touch　of　the　saint；　a　touch　of　the　citizen。　



Nay；　the　really　sane　man　knows　that　he　has　a　touch　of　the　madman。　



But　the　materialist's　world　is　quite　simple　and　solid；　just　as



the　madman　is　quite　sure　he　is　sane。　　The　materialist　is　sure



that　history　has　been　simply　and　solely　a　chain　of　causation；



just　as　the　interesting　person　before　mentioned　is　quite　sure　that



he　is　simply　and　solely　a　chicken。　　Materialists　and　madmen　never



have　doubts。







　　　　　Spiritual　doctrines　do　not　actually　limit　the　mind　as　do



materialistic　denials。　　Even　if　I　believe　in　immortality　I　need　not　think



about　it。　　But　if　I　disbelieve　in　immortality　I　must　not　think　about　it。　



In　the　first　case　the　road　is　open　and　I　can　go　as　far　as　I　like；



in　the　second　the　road　is　shut。　　But　the　case　is　even　stronger；



and　the　parallel　with　madness　is　yet　more　strange。　　For　it　was　our



case　against　the　exhaustive　and　logical　theory　of　the　lunatic　that；



right　or　wrong；　it　gradually　destroyed　his　humanity。　　Now　it　is　the　charge



against　the　main　deductions　of　the　materialist　that；　right　or　wrong；



they　gradually　destroy　his　humanity；　I　do　not　mean　only　kindness；



I　mean　hope；　courage；　poetry；　initiative；　all　that　is　human。　



For　instance；　when　materialism　leads　men　to　complete　fatalism　（as　it



generally　does）；　it　is　quite　idle　to　pretend　that　it　is　in　any　sense



a　liberating　force。　　It　is　absurd　to　say　that　you　are　especially



advancing　freedom　when　you　only　use　free　thought　to　destroy　free　will。　



The　determinists　come　to　bind；　not　to　loose。　　They　may　well　call



their　law　the　〃chain〃　of　causation。　　It　is　the　worst　chain　that　ever



fettered　a　human　being。　　You　may　use　the　language　of　liberty；



if　you　like；　about　materialistic　teaching；　but　it　is　obvious　that　this



is　just　as　inapplicable　to　it　as　a　whole　as　the　same　language　when



applied　to　a　man　locked　up　in　a　mad…house。　You　may　say；　if　you　like；



that　the　man　is　free　to　think　himself　a　poached　egg。　　But　it　is



surely　a　more　massive　and　important　fact　that　if　he　is　a　poached　egg



he　is　not　free　to　eat；　drink；　sleep；　walk；　or　smoke　a　cigarette。　



Similarly　you　may　say；　if　you　like；　that　the　bold　determinist



speculator　is　free　to　disbelieve　in　the　reality　of　the　will。　



But　it　is　a　much　more　massive　and　important　fact　that　he　is　not



free　to　raise；　to　curse；　to　thank；　to　justify；　to　urge；　to　punish；



to　resist　temptations；　to　incite　mobs；　to　make　New　Year　resolutions；



to　pardon　sinners；　to　rebuke　tyrants；　or　even　to　say　〃thank　you〃



for　the　mustard。







　　　　　In　passing　from　this　subject　I　may　note　that　there　is　a　queer



fallacy　to　the　effect　that　materialistic　fatalism　is　in　some　way



favourable　to　mercy；　to　the　abolition　of　cruel　punishments　or



punishments　of　any　kind。　　This　is　startlingly　the　reverse　of　the　truth。　



It　is　quite　tenable　that　the　doctrine　of　necessity　makes　no　difference



at　all；　that　it　leaves　the　flogger　flogging　and　the　kind　friend



exhorting　as　before。　　But　obviously　if　it　stops　either　of　them　it



stops　the　kind　exhortation。　　That　the　sins　are　inevitable　does　not



prevent　punishment；　if　it　prevents　anything　it　prevents　persuasion。　



Determinism　is　quite　as　likely　to　lead　to　cruelty　as　it　is　certain



to　lead　to　cowardice。　　Determinism　is　not　inconsistent　with　the



cruel　treatment　of　criminals。　　What　it　is　（perhaps）　inconsistent



with　is　the　generous　treatment　of　criminals；　with　any　appeal　to



their　better　feelings　or　encouragement　in　their　moral　struggle。　



The　determinist　does　not　believe　in　appealing　to　the　will；　but　he　does



believe　in　changing　the　environment。　　He　must　not　say　to　the　sinner；



〃Go　and　sin　no　more；〃　because　the　sinner　cannot　help　it。　　But　he



can　put　him　in　boiling　oil；　for　boiling　oil　is　an　environment。　



Considered　as　a　figure；　therefore；　the　materialist　has　the　fantastic



outline　of　the　figure　of　the　madman。　　Both　take　up　a　position



at　once　unanswerable　and　intolerable。







　　　　　Of　course　it　is　not　only　of　the　materialist　that　all　this　is　true。　



The　same　would　apply　to　the　other　extreme　of　speculative　logic。　



There　is　a　sceptic　far　more　terrible　than　he　who　believes　that



everything　began　in　matter。　　It　is　possible　to　meet　the　sceptic



who　believes　that　everything　began　in　himself。　　He　doubts　not　the



existence　of　angels　or　devils；　but　the　existence　of　men　and　cows。　



For　him　his　own　friends　are　a　mythology　made　up　by　himself。　



He　created　his　own　father　and　his　own　mother。　　This　horrible



fancy　has　in　it　something　decidedly　attractive　to　the　somewhat



mystical　egoism　of　our　day。　　That　publisher　who　thought　that　men



would　get　on　if　they　believed　in　themselves；　those　seekers　after



the　Superman　who　are　always　looking　for　him　in　the　looking…glass；



those　writers　who　talk　about　impressing　their　personalities　instead



of　creating　life　for　the　world；　all　these　people　have　really　only



an　inch　between　them　and　this　awful　emptiness。　　Then　when　this



kindly　world　all　round　the　man　has　been　blackened　out　like　a　lie；



when　friends　fade　into　ghosts；　and　the　foundations　of　the　world　fail；



then　when　the　man；　believing　in　nothing　and　in　no　man；　is　alone



in　his　own　nightmare；　then　the　great　individualistic　motto　shall



be　written　over　him　in　avenging　irony。　　The　stars　will　be　only　dots



in　the　blackness　of　his　own　brain；　his　mother's　face　will　be　only



a　sketch　from　his　own　insane　pencil　on　the　walls　of　his　cell。　



But　over　his　cell　shall　be　written；　with　dreadful　truth；　〃He　believes



in　himself。〃











　　　　　All　that　concerns　us　here；　however；　is　to　note　that　this



panegoistic　extreme　of　thought　exhibits　the　same　paradox　as　the



other　extreme　of　materialism。　　It　is　equally　complete　in　theory



and　equally　crippling　in　practice。　　For　the　sake　of　simplicity；



it　is　easier　to　state　the　notion　by　saying　that　a　man　can　believe



that　he　is　always　in　a　dream。　　Now；　obviously　there　can　be　no　positive



proof　given　to　him　that　he　is　not　in　a　dream；　for　the　simple　reason



that　no　proof　can　be　offered　that　might　not　be　offered　in　a　dream。　



But　if　the　man　began　to　burn　down　London　and　say　that　his　housekeeper



would　soon　call　him　to　breakfast；　we　should　take　him　and　put　him



with　other　logicians　in　a　place　which　has　often　been　alluded　to　in



the　course　of　this　chapter。　　The　man　who　cannot　believe　his　senses；



and　the　man　who　cannot　believe　anything　else；　are　both　insane；



but　their　insanity　is　proved　not　by　any　error　in　their　argument；



but　by　the　manifest　mistake　of　their　whole　lives。　　They　have　both



locked　themselves　up　in　two　boxes；　painted　inside　with　the　sun



and　stars；　they　are　both　unable　to　get　out；　the　one　into　the



health　and　happiness　of　heaven；　the　other　even　into　the　health



and　happiness　of　the　earth。　　Their　position　is　quite　reasonable；



nay；　in　a　sens