on liberty-第17节

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and　variety　of　situations〃；　and　that　from　the　union　of　these　arise



〃individual　vigour　and　manifold　diversity；〃　which　combine　themselves



in　〃originality。〃*







　　*　The　Sphere　and　Duties　of　Government；　from　the　German　of　Baron



Wilhelm　von　Humboldt；　pp。　11…13。







　　Little；　however；　as　people　are　accustomed　to　a　doctrine　like　that　of



Von　Humboldt；　and　surprising　as　it　may　be　to　them　to　find　so　high　a



value　attached　to　individuality；　the　question；　one　must　nevertheless



think；　can　only　be　one　of　degree。　No　one's　idea　of　excellence　in



conduct　is　that　people　should　do　absolutely　nothing　but　copy　one



another。　No　one　would　assert　that　people　ought　not　to　put　into　their



mode　of　life；　and　into　the　conduct　of　their　concerns；　any　impress



whatever　of　their　own　judgment；　or　of　their　own　individual



character。　On　the　other　hand；　it　would　be　absurd　to　pretend　that



people　ought　to　live　as　if　nothing　whatever　had　been　known　in　the



world　before　they　came　into　it；　as　if　experience　had　as　yet　done



nothing　towards　showing　that　one　mode　of　existence　or　of　conduct；　is



preferable　to　another。　Nobody　denies　that　people　should　be　so　taught



and　trained　in　youth　as　to　know　and　benefit　by　the　ascertained　results



of　human　experience。　But　it　is　the　privilege　and　proper　condition　of　a



human　being；　arrived　at　the　maturity　of　his　faculties；　to　use　and



interpret　experience　in　his　own　way。　It　is　for　him　to　find　out　what



part　of　recorded　experience　is　properly　applicable　to　his　own



circumstances　and　character。　The　traditions　and　customs　of　other



people　are；　to　a　certain　extent；　evidence　of　what　their　experience　has



taught　them；　presumptive　evidence；　and　as　such；　have　a　claim　to　his



deference：　but；　in　the　first　place；　their　experience　may　be　too



narrow；　or　they　may　not　have　interpreted　it　rightly。　Secondly；　their



interpretation　of　experience　may　be　correct；　but　unsuitable　to　him。



Customs　are　made　for　customary　circumstances　and　customary　characters；



and　his　circumstances　or　his　character　may　be　uncustomary。　Thirdly；



though　the　customs　be　both　good　as　customs；　and　suitable　to　him；　yet



to　conform　to　custom；　merely　as　custom；　does　not　educate　or　develop　in



him　any　of　the　qualities　which　are　the　distinctive　endowment　of　a



human　being。　The　human　faculties　of　perception；　judgment；



discriminative　feeling；　mental　activity；　and　even　moral　preference；



are　exercised　only　in　making　a　choice。　He　who　does　anything　because　it



is　the　custom　makes　no　choice。　He　gains　no　practice　either　in



discerning　or　in　desiring　what　is　best。　The　mental　and　moral；　like　the



muscular　powers；　are　improved　only　by　being　used。　The　faculties　are



called　into　no　exercise　by　doing　a　thing　merely　because　others　do



it；　no　more　than　by　believing　a　thing　only　because　others　believe



it。　If　the　grounds　of　an　opinion　are　not　conclusive　to　the　person's



own　reason；　his　reason　cannot　be　strengthened；　but　is　likely　to　be



weakened；　by　his　adopting　it：　and　if　the　inducements　to　an　act　are　not



such　as　are　consentaneous　to　his　own　feelings　and　character　（where



affection；　or　the　rights　of　others；　are　not　concerned）　it　is　so　much



done　towards　rendering　his　feelings　and　character　inert　and　torpid；



instead　of　active　and　energetic。



　　He　who　lets　the　world；　or　his　own　portion　of　it；　choose　his　plan



of　life　for　him；　has　no　need　of　any　other　faculty　than　the　ape…like



one　of　imitation。　He　who　chooses　his　plan　for　himself；　employs　all　his



faculties。　He　must　use　observation　to　see；　reasoning　and　judgment　to



foresee；　activity　to　gather　materials　for　decision；　discrimination



to　decide；　and　when　he　has　decided；　firmness　and　self…control　to



hold　to　his　deliberate　decision。　And　these　qualities　he　requires　and



exercises　exactly　in　proportion　as　the　part　of　his　conduct　which　he



determines　according　to　his　own　judgment　and　feelings　is　a　large



one。　It　is　possible　that　he　might　be　guided　in　some　good　path；　and



kept　out　of　harm's　way；　without　any　of　these　things。　But　what　will



be　his　comparative　worth　as　a　human　being？　It　really　is　of　importance；



not　only　what　men　do；　but　also　what　manner　of　men　they　are　that　do　it。



Among　the　works　of　man；　which　human　life　is　rightly　employed　in



perfecting　and　beautifying；　the　first　in　importance　surely　is　man



himself。　Supposing　it　were　possible　to　get　houses　built；　corn　grown；



battles　fought；　causes　tried；　and　even　churches　erected　and　prayers



said；　by　machinery…　by　automatons　in　human　form…　it　would　be　a



considerable　loss　to　exchange　for　these　automatons　even　the　men　and



women　who　at　present　inhabit　the　more　civilised　parts　of　the　world；



and　who　assuredly　are　but　starved　specimens　of　what　nature　can　and



will　produce。　Human　nature　is　not　a　machine　to　be　built　after　a　model；



and　set　to　do　exactly　the　work　prescribed　for　it；　but　a　tree；　which



requires　to　grow　and　develop　itself　on　all　sides；　according　to　the



tendency　of　the　inward　forces　which　make　it　a　living　thing。



　　It　will　probably　be　conceded　that　it　is　desirable　people　should



exercise　their　understandings；　and　that　an　intelligent　following　of



custom；　or　even　occasionally　an　intelligent　deviation　from　custom；



is　better　than　a　blind　and　simply　mechanical　adhesion　to　it。　To　a



certain　extent　it　is　admitted　that　our　understanding　should　be　our



own：　but　there　is　not　the　same　willingness　to　admit　that　our　desires



and　impulses　should　be　our　own　likewise；　or　that　to　possess　impulses



of　our　own；　and　of　any　strength；　is　anything　but　a　peril　and　a



snare。　Yet　desires　and　impulses　are　as　much　a　part　of　a　perfect



human　being　as　beliefs　and　restraints：　and　strong　impulses　are　only



perilous　when　not　properly　balanced；　when　one　set　of　aims　and



inclinations　is　developed　into　strength；　while　others；　which　ought



to　co…exist　with　them；　remain　weak　and　inactive。　It　is　not　because



men's　desires　are　strong　that　they　act　ill；　it　is　because　their



consciences　are　weak。　There　is　no　natural　connection　between　strong



impulses　and　a　weak　conscience。　The　natural　connection　is　the　other



way。　To　say　that　one　person's　desires　and　feelings　are　stronger　and



more　various　than　those　of　another；　is　merely　to　say　that　he　has



more　of　the　raw　material　of　human　nature；　and　is　therefore　capable；



perhaps　of　more　evil；　but　certainly　of　more　good。　Strong　impulses



are　but　another　name　for　energy。　Energy　may　be　turned　to　bad　uses；　but



more　good　may　always　be　made　of　an　energetic　nature；　than　of　an



indolent　and　impassive　one。　Those　who　have　most　natural　feeling　are



always　those　whose　cultivated　feelings　may　be　made　the　strongest。



The　same　strong　susceptibilities　which　make　the　personal　impulses



vivid　and　powerful；　are　also　the　source　from　whence　are　generated



the　most　passionate　love　of　virtue；　and　the　sternest　self…control。



It　is　through　the　cultivation　of　these　that　society　both　does　its　duty



and　protects　its　interests：　not　by　rejecting　the　stuff　of　which　heroes



are　made；　because　it　knows　not　how　to　make　them。　A　person　whose



desires　and　impulses　are　his　own…　are　the　expression　of　his　own



nature；　as　it　has　been　developed　and　modified　by　his　own　culture…　is



said　to　have　a　character。　One　whose　desires　and　impulses　are　not　his



own；　has　no　character；　no　more　than　a　steam…engine　has　a　character。



If；　in　addition　to　being　his　own；　his　impulses　are　strong；　and　are



under　the　government　of　a　strong　will；　he　has　an　energetic　character。



Whoever　thinks　that　individuality　of　desires　and　impulses　should　not



be　encouraged　to　unfold　itself；　must　maintain　that　society　has　no　need



of　strong　natures…is　not　the　better　for　containing　many　persons　who



have　much　character…and　that　a　high　general　average　of　energy　is　not



desirable。



　　In　some　early　states　of　society；　these　forces　might　be；　and　were；



too　much　ahead　of　the　power　which　society　then　possessed　of



disciplining　and　controlling　them。　There　has　been　a　time　when　the



element　of　spontaneity　and　individuality　was　in　excess；　and　the　social



principle　had　a　hard　struggle　with　it。　The　difficulty　then　was　to



induce　men　of　strong　bodies　or　minds　to　pay　obedience　to　any　rules



which　required　them　to　control　their　impulses。　To　overcome　this



difficulty；　law　and　discipline；　like　the　Popes　struggling　against



the　Emperors；　asserted　a　power　over　the　whole　man；　claiming　to　control



all　his　life　in　order　to　control　his　character…which　society　had　not



found　any　other　sufficient　means　of　binding。　But　society　has　now



fairly　got　the　better　of　individuality；　and　the　danger　which　threatens



human　nature　is　not　the　excess；　but　the　deficiency；　of　personal



impulses　and　preferences。　Things　are　vastly　changed　since　the　passions



of　those　who　were　strong　by　station　or　by　personal　endowment　were　in　a



state　of　habitual　rebellion　against　laws　and　ordinances；　and



required　to　be