on liberty-及14准
梓囚徒貧圭鮗 ○ 賜 ★ 辛酔堀貧和鍬匈梓囚徒貧議 Enter 囚辛指欺云慕朕村匈梓囚徒貧圭鮗 ● 辛指欺云匈競何
!!!!隆堋響頼紗秘慕禰厮宴和肝写偬堋響
energetic察and the most likely to compel reluctant attention to the
fragment of wisdom which they proclaim as if it were the whole。
Thus察in the eighteenth century察when nearly all the instructed察and
all those of the uninstructed who were led by them察were lost in
admiration of what is called civilisation察and of the marvels of
modern science察literature察and philosophy察and while greatly
overrating the amount of unlikeness between the men of modern and
those of ancient times察indulged the belief that the whole of the
difference was in their own favour察with what a salutary shock did the
paradoxes of Rousseau explode like bombshells in the midst
dislocating the compact mass of one´sided opinion察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察on the contrary察they were nearer
to it察they contained more of positive truth察and very much less of
error。 Nevertheless there lay in Rousseau's doctrine察and has
floated down the stream of opinion along with it察a considerable
amount of exactly those truths which the popular opinion wanted察and
these are the deposit which was left behind when the flood subsided。
The superior worth of simplicity of life察the enervating and
demoralising effect of the trammels and hypocrisies of artificial
society察are ideas which have never been entirely absent from
cultivated minds since Rousseau wrote察and they will in time produce
their due effect察though at present needing to be asserted as much
as ever察and to be asserted by deeds察for words察on this subject察have
nearly exhausted their power。
In politics察again察it is almost a commonplace察that a party of
order or stability察and a party of progress or reform察are both
necessary elements of a healthy state of political life察until the one
or the other shall have so enlarged its mental grasp as to be a
party equally of order and of progress察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察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察to property and
to equality察to cooperation and to competition察to luxury and to
abstinence察to sociality and individuality察to liberty and discipline
and all the other standing antagonisms of practical life察are
expressed with equal freedom察and enforced and defended with equal
talent and energy察there is no chance of both elements obtaining their
due察one scale is sure to go up察and the other down。 Truth察in the
great practical concerns of life察is so much a question of the
reconciling and combining of opposites察that very few have minds
sufficiently capacious and impartial to make the adjustment with an
approach to correctness察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察if either of the two
opinions has a better claim than the other察not merely to be
tolerated察but to be encouraged and countenanced察it is the one
which happens at the particular time and place to be in a minority。
That is the opinion which察for the time being察represents the
neglected interests察the side of human well´being which is in danger
of obtaining less than its share。 I am aware that there is not察in
this country察any intolerance of differences of opinion on most of
these topics。 They are adduced to show察by admitted and multiplied
examples察the universality of the fact察that only through diversity of
opinion is there察in the existing state of human intellect察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察even if the world is in the right察it is always
probable that dissentients have something worth hearing to say for
themselves察and that truth would lose something by their silence。
It may be objected察 But some received principles察especially on the
highest and most vital subjects察are more than half´truths。 The
Christian morality察for instance察is the whole truth on that
subject察and if any one teaches a morality which varies from it察he is
wholly in error。; As this is of all cases the most important in
practice察none can be fitter to test the general maxim。 But before
pronouncing what Christian morality is or is not察it would be
desirable to decide what is meant by Christian morality。 If it means
the morality of the New Testament察I wonder that any one who derives
his knowledge of this from the book itself察can suppose that it was
announced察or intended察as a complete doctrine of morals。 The Gospel
always refers to a pre´existing morality察and confines its precepts to
the particulars in which that morality was to be corrected察or
superseded by a wider and higher察expressing itself察moreover察in
terms most general察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察has never been possible without eking it out from the Old
Testament察that is察from a system elaborate indeed察but in many
respects barbarous察and intended only for a barbarous people。 St。
Paul察a declared enemy to this Judaical mode of interpreting the
doctrine and filling up the scheme of his Master察equally assumes a
preexisting morality察namely that of the Greeks and Romans察and his
advice to Christians is in a great measure a system of accommodation
to that察even to the extent of giving an apparent sanction to slavery。
What is called Christian察but should rather be termed theological
morality察was not the work of Christ or the Apostles察but is of much
later origin察having been gradually built up by the Catholic church of
the first five centuries察and though not implicitly adopted by moderns
and Protestants察has been much less modified by them than might have
been expected。 For the most part察indeed察they have contented
themselves with cutting off the additions which had been made to it in
the Middle Ages察each sect supplying the place by fresh additions
adapted to its own character and tendencies。
That mankind owe a great debt to this morality察and to its early
teachers察I should be the last person to deny察but I do not scruple to
say of it that it is察in many important points察incomplete and
one´sided察and that unless ideas and feelings察not sanctioned by it
had contributed to the formation of European life and character察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察in great part察a protest against Paganism。 Its ideal is
negative rather than positive察passive rather than active察Innocence
rather than Nobleness察Abstinence from Evil察rather than energetic
Pursuit of Good察in its precepts as has been well said ;thou shalt
not; predominates unduly over ;thou shalt。; In its horror of
sensuality察it made an idol of asceticism察which has been gradually
compromised away into one of legality。 It holds out the hope of heaven
and the threat of hell察as the appointed and appropriate motives to
a virtuous life此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察by disconnecting each man's feelings of duty from
the interests of his fellow creatures察except so far as a
self´interested inducement is offered to him for consulting them。 It
is essentially a doctrine of passive obedience察it inculcates
submission to all authorities found established察who indeed are not to
be actively obeyed when they command what religion forbids察but who
are not to be resisted察far less rebelled against察for any amount of
wrong to ourselves。 And while察in the morality of the best Pagan
nations察duty to the State holds even a disproportionate place
infringing on the just liberty of the individual察in purely
Christian ethics察that grand department of duty is scarcely noticed or
acknowledged。 It is in the Koran察not the New Testament察that we
read the maxim´ ;A ruler who appoints any man to an office察when
there is in his dominions another man better qualified for it察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察not