on liberty-第14节

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energetic；　and　the　most　likely　to　compel　reluctant　attention　to　the



fragment　of　wisdom　which　they　proclaim　as　if　it　were　the　whole。



　　Thus；　in　the　eighteenth　century；　when　nearly　all　the　instructed；　and



all　those　of　the　uninstructed　who　were　led　by　them；　were　lost　in



admiration　of　what　is　called　civilisation；　and　of　the　marvels　of



modern　science；　literature；　and　philosophy；　and　while　greatly



overrating　the　amount　of　unlikeness　between　the　men　of　modern　and



those　of　ancient　times；　indulged　the　belief　that　the　whole　of　the



difference　was　in　their　own　favour；　with　what　a　salutary　shock　did　the



paradoxes　of　Rousseau　explode　like　bombshells　in　the　midst；



dislocating　the　compact　mass　of　one…sided　opinion；　and　forcing　its



elements　to　recombine　in　a　better　form　and　with　additional



ingredients。　Not　that　the　current　opinions　were　on　the　whole　farther



from　the　truth　than　Rousseau's　were；　on　the　contrary；　they　were　nearer



to　it；　they　contained　more　of　positive　truth；　and　very　much　less　of



error。　Nevertheless　there　lay　in　Rousseau's　doctrine；　and　has



floated　down　the　stream　of　opinion　along　with　it；　a　considerable



amount　of　exactly　those　truths　which　the　popular　opinion　wanted；　and



these　are　the　deposit　which　was　left　behind　when　the　flood　subsided。



The　superior　worth　of　simplicity　of　life；　the　enervating　and



demoralising　effect　of　the　trammels　and　hypocrisies　of　artificial



society；　are　ideas　which　have　never　been　entirely　absent　from



cultivated　minds　since　Rousseau　wrote；　and　they　will　in　time　produce



their　due　effect；　though　at　present　needing　to　be　asserted　as　much



as　ever；　and　to　be　asserted　by　deeds；　for　words；　on　this　subject；　have



nearly　exhausted　their　power。



　　In　politics；　again；　it　is　almost　a　commonplace；　that　a　party　of



order　or　stability；　and　a　party　of　progress　or　reform；　are　both



necessary　elements　of　a　healthy　state　of　political　life；　until　the　one



or　the　other　shall　have　so　enlarged　its　mental　grasp　as　to　be　a



party　equally　of　order　and　of　progress；　knowing　and　distinguishing



what　is　fit　to　be　preserved　from　what　ought　to　be　swept　away。　Each



of　these　modes　of　thinking　derives　its　utility　from　the　deficiencies



of　the　other；　but　it　is　in　a　great　measure　the　opposition　of　the　other



that　keeps　each　within　the　limits　of　reason　and　sanity。　Unless



opinions　favourable　to　democracy　and　to　aristocracy；　to　property　and



to　equality；　to　cooperation　and　to　competition；　to　luxury　and　to



abstinence；　to　sociality　and　individuality；　to　liberty　and　discipline；



and　all　the　other　standing　antagonisms　of　practical　life；　are



expressed　with　equal　freedom；　and　enforced　and　defended　with　equal



talent　and　energy；　there　is　no　chance　of　both　elements　obtaining　their



due；　one　scale　is　sure　to　go　up；　and　the　other　down。　Truth；　in　the



great　practical　concerns　of　life；　is　so　much　a　question　of　the



reconciling　and　combining　of　opposites；　that　very　few　have　minds



sufficiently　capacious　and　impartial　to　make　the　adjustment　with　an



approach　to　correctness；　and　it　has　to　be　made　by　the　rough　process　of



a　struggle　between　combatants　fighting　under　hostile　banners。　On　any



of　the　great　open　questions　just　enumerated；　if　either　of　the　two



opinions　has　a　better　claim　than　the　other；　not　merely　to　be



tolerated；　but　to　be　encouraged　and　countenanced；　it　is　the　one



which　happens　at　the　particular　time　and　place　to　be　in　a　minority。



That　is　the　opinion　which；　for　the　time　being；　represents　the



neglected　interests；　the　side　of　human　well…being　which　is　in　danger



of　obtaining　less　than　its　share。　I　am　aware　that　there　is　not；　in



this　country；　any　intolerance　of　differences　of　opinion　on　most　of



these　topics。　They　are　adduced　to　show；　by　admitted　and　multiplied



examples；　the　universality　of　the　fact；　that　only　through　diversity　of



opinion　is　there；　in　the　existing　state　of　human　intellect；　a　chance



of　fair　play　to　all　sides　of　the　truth。　When　there　are　persons　to　be



found　who　form　an　exception　to　the　apparent　unanimity　of　the　world



on　any　subject；　even　if　the　world　is　in　the　right；　it　is　always



probable　that　dissentients　have　something　worth　hearing　to　say　for



themselves；　and　that　truth　would　lose　something　by　their　silence。



　　It　may　be　objected；　〃But　some　received　principles；　especially　on　the



highest　and　most　vital　subjects；　are　more　than　half…truths。　The



Christian　morality；　for　instance；　is　the　whole　truth　on　that



subject；　and　if　any　one　teaches　a　morality　which　varies　from　it；　he　is



wholly　in　error。〃　As　this　is　of　all　cases　the　most　important　in



practice；　none　can　be　fitter　to　test　the　general　maxim。　But　before



pronouncing　what　Christian　morality　is　or　is　not；　it　would　be



desirable　to　decide　what　is　meant　by　Christian　morality。　If　it　means



the　morality　of　the　New　Testament；　I　wonder　that　any　one　who　derives



his　knowledge　of　this　from　the　book　itself；　can　suppose　that　it　was



announced；　or　intended；　as　a　complete　doctrine　of　morals。　The　Gospel



always　refers　to　a　pre…existing　morality；　and　confines　its　precepts　to



the　particulars　in　which　that　morality　was　to　be　corrected；　or



superseded　by　a　wider　and　higher；　expressing　itself；　moreover；　in



terms　most　general；　often　impossible　to　be　interpreted　literally；



and　possessing　rather　the　impressiveness　of　poetry　or　eloquence　than



the　precision　of　legislation。　To　extract　from　it　a　body　of　ethical



doctrine；　has　never　been　possible　without　eking　it　out　from　the　Old



Testament；　that　is；　from　a　system　elaborate　indeed；　but　in　many



respects　barbarous；　and　intended　only　for　a　barbarous　people。　St。



Paul；　a　declared　enemy　to　this　Judaical　mode　of　interpreting　the



doctrine　and　filling　up　the　scheme　of　his　Master；　equally　assumes　a



preexisting　morality；　namely　that　of　the　Greeks　and　Romans；　and　his



advice　to　Christians　is　in　a　great　measure　a　system　of　accommodation



to　that；　even　to　the　extent　of　giving　an　apparent　sanction　to　slavery。



What　is　called　Christian；　but　should　rather　be　termed　theological；



morality；　was　not　the　work　of　Christ　or　the　Apostles；　but　is　of　much



later　origin；　having　been　gradually　built　up　by　the　Catholic　church　of



the　first　five　centuries；　and　though　not　implicitly　adopted　by　moderns



and　Protestants；　has　been　much　less　modified　by　them　than　might　have



been　expected。　For　the　most　part；　indeed；　they　have　contented



themselves　with　cutting　off　the　additions　which　had　been　made　to　it　in



the　Middle　Ages；　each　sect　supplying　the　place　by　fresh　additions；



adapted　to　its　own　character　and　tendencies。



　　That　mankind　owe　a　great　debt　to　this　morality；　and　to　its　early



teachers；　I　should　be　the　last　person　to　deny；　but　I　do　not　scruple　to



say　of　it　that　it　is；　in　many　important　points；　incomplete　and



one…sided；　and　that　unless　ideas　and　feelings；　not　sanctioned　by　it；



had　contributed　to　the　formation　of　European　life　and　character；　human



affairs　would　have　been　in　a　worse　condition　than　they　now　are。



Christian　morality　（so　called）　has　all　the　characters　of　a　reaction；



it　is；　in　great　part；　a　protest　against　Paganism。　Its　ideal　is



negative　rather　than　positive；　passive　rather　than　active；　Innocence



rather　than　Nobleness；　Abstinence　from　Evil；　rather　than　energetic



Pursuit　of　Good；　in　its　precepts　（as　has　been　well　said）　〃thou　shalt



not〃　predominates　unduly　over　〃thou　shalt。〃　In　its　horror　of



sensuality；　it　made　an　idol　of　asceticism；　which　has　been　gradually



compromised　away　into　one　of　legality。　It　holds　out　the　hope　of　heaven



and　the　threat　of　hell；　as　the　appointed　and　appropriate　motives　to



a　virtuous　life：　in　this　falling　far　below　the　best　of　the　ancients；



and　doing　what　lies　in　it　to　give　to　human　morality　an　essentially



selfish　character；　by　disconnecting　each　man's　feelings　of　duty　from



the　interests　of　his　fellow　creatures；　except　so　far　as　a



self…interested　inducement　is　offered　to　him　for　consulting　them。　It



is　essentially　a　doctrine　of　passive　obedience；　it　inculcates



submission　to　all　authorities　found　established；　who　indeed　are　not　to



be　actively　obeyed　when　they　command　what　religion　forbids；　but　who



are　not　to　be　resisted；　far　less　rebelled　against；　for　any　amount　of



wrong　to　ourselves。　And　while；　in　the　morality　of　the　best　Pagan



nations；　duty　to　the　State　holds　even　a　disproportionate　place；



infringing　on　the　just　liberty　of　the　individual；　in　purely



Christian　ethics；　that　grand　department　of　duty　is　scarcely　noticed　or



acknowledged。　It　is　in　the　Koran；　not　the　New　Testament；　that　we



read　the　maxim…　〃A　ruler　who　appoints　any　man　to　an　office；　when



there　is　in　his　dominions　another　man　better　qualified　for　it；　sins



against　God　and　against　the　State。〃　What　little　recognition　the　idea



of　obligation　to　the　public　obtains　in　modern　morality　is　derived　from



Greek　and　Roman　sources；　not