on the significance of science and art-第2章

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of　the　crowd　towards　that　which　it　preaches？　　At　first　it　seems
strange；　that　the　theory　of　evolution　can　in　any　manner　justify
people　in　their　evil　ways；　and　it　seems　as　though　the　scientific
theory　of　evolution　has　to　deal　only　with　facts；　and　that　it　does
nothing　else　but　observe　facts。

But　this　only　appears　to　be　the　case。

Exactly　the　same　thing　appeared　to　be　the　case　with　the　Hegelian
doctrine；　in　a　greater　degree；　and　also　in　the　special　instance　of
the　Malthusian　doctrine。　　Hegelianism　was；　apparently；　occupied　only
with　its　logical　constructions；　and　bore　no　relation　to　the　life　of
mankind。　　Precisely　this　seemed　to　be　the　case　with　the　Malthusian
theory。　　It　appeared　to　be　busy　itself　only　with　statistical　data。
But　this　was　only　in　appearance。

Contemporary　science　is　also　occupied　with　facts　alone：　　it
investigates　facts。　　But　what　facts？　　Why　precisely　these　facts；　and
no　others？

The　men　of　contemporary　science　are　very　fond　of　saying；
triumphantly　and　confidently；　〃We　investigate　only　facts；〃　imagining
that　these　words　contain　some　meaning。　　It　is　impossible　to
investigate　facts　alone；　because　the　facts　which　are　subject　to　our
investigation　are　INNUMERABLE　（in　the　definite　sense　of　that　word）；…
…innumerable。　　Before　we　proceed　to　investigate　facts；　we　must　have
a　theory　on　the　foundation　of　which　these　or　those　facts　can　be
inquired　into；　i。e。；　selected　from　the　incalculable　quantity。

And　this　theory　exists；　and　is　even　very　definitely　expressed；
although　many　of　the　workers　in　contemporary　science　do　not　know　it；
or　often　pretend　that　they　do　not　know　it。　　Exactly　thus　has　it
always　been　with　all　prevailing　and　guiding　doctrines。　　The
foundations　of　every　doctrine　are　always　stated　in　a　theory；　and　the
so…called　learned　men　merely　invent　further　deductions　from　the
foundations　once　stated。　　Thus　contemporary　science　is　selecting　its
facts　on　the　foundation　of　a　very　definite　theory；　which　it
sometimes　knows；　sometimes　refuses　to　know；　and　sometimes　really
does　not　know；　but　the　theory　exists。

The　theory　is　as　follows：　　All　mankind　is　an　undying　organism；　men
are　the　particles　of　that　organism；　and　each　one　of　them　has　his　own
special　task　for　the　service　of　others。　　In　the　same　manner；　the
cells　united　in　an　organism　share　among　them　the　labor　of　fight　for
existence　of　the　whole　organism；　they　magnify　the　power　of　one
capacity；　and　weaken　another；　and　unite　in　one　organ；　in　order　the
better　to　supply　the　requirements　of　the　whole　organism。　　And
exactly　in　the　same　manner　as　with　gregarious　animals；ants　or
bees；the　separate　individuals　divide　the　labor　among　them。　　The
queen　lays　the　egg；　the　drone　fructifies　it；　the　bee　works　his　whole
life　long。　　And　precisely　this　thing　takes　place　in　mankind　and　in
human　societies。　　And　therefore；　in　order　to　find　the　law　of　life
for　man；　it　is　necessary　to　study　the　laws　of　the　life　and　the
development　of　organisms。

In　the　life　and　development　of　organisms；　we　find　the　following
laws：　　the　law　of　differentiation　and　integration；　the　law　that
every　phenomenon　is　accompanied　not　by　direct　consequences　alone；
another　law　regarding　the　instability　of　type；　and　so　on。　　All　this
seems　very　innocent；　but　it　is　only　necessary　to　draw　the　deductions
from　all　these　laws；　in　order　to　immediately　perceive　that　these
laws　incline　in　the　same　direction　as　the　law　of　Malthus。　　These
laws　all　point　to　one　thing；　namely；　to　the　recognition　of　that
division　of　labor　which　exists　in　human　communities；　as　organic；
that　is　to　say；　as　indispensable。　　And　therefore；　the　unjust
position　in　which　we；　the　people　who　have　freed　ourselves　from
labor；　find　ourselves；　must　be　regarded　not　from　the　point　of　view
of　common…sense　and　justice；　but　merely　as　an　undoubted　fact；
confirming　the　universal　law。

Moral　philosophy　also　justified　every　sort　of　cruelty　and　harshness；
but　this　resulted　in　a　philosophical　manner；　and　therefore　wrongly。
But　with　science；　all　this　results　scientifically；　and　therefore　in
a　manner　not　to　be　doubted。

How　can　we　fail　to　accept　so　very　beautiful　a　theory？　　It　is　merely
necessary　to　look　upon　human　society　as　an　object　of　contemplation；
and　I　can　console　myself　with　the　thought　that　my　activity；　whatever
may　be　its　nature；　is　a　functional　activity　of　the　organism　of
humanity；　and　that　therefore　there　cannot　arise　any　question　as　to
whether　it　is　just　that　I；　in　employing　the　labor　of　others；　am
doing　only　that　which　is　agreeable　to　me；　as　there　can　arise　no
question　as　to　the　division　of　labor　between　the　brain　cells　and　the
muscular　cells。　　How　is　it　possible　not　to　admit　so　very　beautiful　a
theory；　in　order　that　one　may　be　able；　ever　after；　to　pocket　one's
conscience；　and　have　a　perfectly　unbridled　animal　existence；　feeling
beneath　one's　self　that　support　of　science　which　is　not　to　be　shaken
nowadays！

And　it　is　on　this　new　doctrine　that　the　justification　for　men's
idleness　and　cruelty　is　now　founded。



CHAPTER　II。



This　doctrine　had　its　rise　not　so　very　longfifty　yearsago。　　Its
principal　founder　was　the　French　savant　Comte。　　There　occurred　to
Comte；a　systematist；　and　a　religious　man　to　boot；under　the
influence　of　the　then　novel　physiological　investigations　of　Biche；
the　old　idea　already　set　forth　by　Menenius　Agrippa；the　idea　that
human　society；　all　humanity　even；　might　be　regarded　as　one　whole；　as
an　organism；　and　men　as　living　parts　of　the　separate　organs；　having
each　his　own　definite　appointment　to　serve　the　entire　organism。

This　idea　so　pleased　Comte；　that　upon　it　he　began　to　erect　a
philosophical　theory；　and　this　theory　so　carried　him　away；　that　he
utterly　forgot　that　the　point　of　departure　for　his　theory　was
nothing　more　than　a　very　pretty　comparison；　which　was　suitable　for　a
fable；　but　which　could　by　no　means　serve　as　the　foundation　for
science。　　He；　as　frequently　happens；　mistook　his　pet　hypothesis　for
an　axiom；　and　imagined　that　his　whole　theory　was　erected　on　the　very
firmest　of　foundations。　　According　to　his　theory；　it　seemed　that
since　humanity　is　an　organism；　the　knowledge　of　what　man　is；　and　of
what　should　be　his　relations　to　the　world；　was　possible　only　through
a　knowledge　of　the　features　of　this　organism。　　For　the　knowledge　of
these　qualities；　man　is　enabled　to　take　observations　on　other　and
lower　organisms；　and　to　draw　conclusions　from　their　life。
Therefore；　in　the　fist　place；　the　true　and　only　method；　according　to
Comte；　is　the　inductive；　and　all　science　is　only　such　when　it　has
experiment　as　its　basis；　in　the　second　place；　the　goal　and　crown　of
sciences　is　formed　by　that　new　science　dealing　with　the　imaginary
organism　of　humanity；　or　the　super…organic　being；humanity；and
this　newly　devised　science　is　sociology。

And　from　this　view　of　science　it　appears；　that　all　previous
knowledge　was　deceitful；　and　that　the　whole　story　of　humanity；　in
the　sense　of　self…knowledge；　has　been　divided　into　three；　actually
into　two；　periods：　　the　theological　and　metaphysical　period；
extending　from　the　beginning　of　the　world　to　Comte；　and　the　present
period；that　of　the　only　true　science；　positive　science；beginning
with　Comte。

All　this　was　very　well。　　There　was　but　one　error；　and　that　was
this；that　the　whole　edifice　was　erected　on　the　sand；　on　the
arbitrary　and　false　assertion　that　humanity　is　an　organism。　　This
assertion　was　arbitrary；　because　we　have　just　as　much　right　to　admit
the　existence　of　a　human　organism；　not　subject　to　observation；　as　we
have　to　admit　the　existence　of　any　other　invisible；　fantastic　being。
This　assertion　was　erroneous；　because　for　the　understanding　of
humanity；　i。e。；　of　men；　the　definition　of　an　organism　was
incorrectly　constructed；　while　in　humanity　itself　all　actual　signs
of　organism；the　centre　of　feeling　or　consciousness；　are　lacking。
｛2｝

But；　in　spite　of　the　arbitrariness　and　incorrectness　of　the
fundamental　assumption　of　positive　philosophy；　it　was　accepted　by
the　so…called　cultivated　world　with　the　greatest　sympathy。　　In　this
connection；　one　thing　is　worthy　of　note：　　that　out　of　the　works　of
Comte；　consisting　of　two　parts；　of　positive　philosophy　and　of
positive　politics；　only　the　first　was　adop