lecture02-第3节

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there　is　no　escape。　　What　relates　to　them　is　the　first　and　last



word　in　the　way　of　truth。　　Whatever　then　were　most　primal　and



enveloping　and　deeply　true　might　at　this　rate　be　treated　as



godlike；　and　a　man's　religion　might　thus　be　identified　with　his



attitude；　whatever　it　might　be；　toward　what　he　felt　to　be　the



primal　truth。







Such　a　definition　as　this　would　in　a　way　be　defensible。　Religion；



whatever　it　is；　is　a　man's　total　reaction　upon　life；　so　why　not



say　that　any　total　reaction　upon　life　is　a　religion？　Total



reactions　are　different　from　casual　reactions；　and　total



attitudes　are　different　from　usual　or　professional　attitudes。　　To



get　at　them　you　must　go　behind　the　foreground　of　existence　and



reach　down　to　that　curious　sense　of　the　whole　residual　cosmos　as



an　everlasting　presence；　intimate　or　alien；　terrible　or　amusing；



lovable　or　odious；　which　in　some　degree　everyone　possesses。　　This



sense　of　the　world's　presence；　appealing　as　it　does　to　our



peculiar　individual　temperament；　makes　us　either　strenuous　or



careless；　devout　or　blasphemous；　gloomy　or　exultant；　about　life



at　large；　and　our　reaction；　involuntary　and　inarticulate　and



often　half　unconscious　as　it　is；　is　the　completest　of　all　our



answers　to　the　question；　〃What　is　the　character　of　this　universe



in　which　we　dwell？〃　　It　expresses　our　individual　sense　of　it　in



the　most　definite　way。　　Why　then　not　call　these　reactions　our



religion；　no　matter　what　specific　character　they　may　have？　



Non…religious　as　some　of　these　reactions　may　be；　in　one　sense　of



the　word　〃religious；〃　they　yet　belong　to　THE　GENERAL　SPHERE　OF



THE　RELIGIOUS　LIFE；　and　so　should　generically　be　classed　as



religious　reactions。　　〃He　believes　in　No…God；　and　he　worships



him；〃　said　a　colleague　of　mine　of　a　student　who　was　manifesting　a



fine　atheistic　ardor；　and　the　more　fervent　opponents　of　Christian



doctrine　have　often　enough　shown　a　temper　which；　psychologically



considered；　is　indistinguishable　from　religious　zeal。







But　so　very　broad　a　use　of　the　word　〃religion〃　would　be



inconvenient；　however　defensible　it　might　remain　on　logical



grounds。　　There　are　trifling；　sneering　attitudes　even　toward　the



whole　of　life；　and　in　some　men　these　attitudes　are　final　and



systematic。　　It　would　strain　the　ordinary　use　of　language　too



much　to　call　such　attitudes　religious；　even　though；　from　the



point　of　view　of　an　unbiased　critical　philosophy；　they　might



conceivably　be　perfectly　reasonable　ways　of　looking　upon　life。　



Voltaire；　for　example；　writes　thus　to　a　friend；　at　the　age　of



seventy…three：　　〃As　for　myself；〃　he　says；　〃weak　as　I　am；　I　carry



on　the　war　to　the　last　moment；　I　get　a　hundred　pike…thrusts；　I



return　two　hundred；　and　I　laugh。　　I　see　near　my　door　Geneva　on



fire　with　quarrels　over　nothing；　and　I　laugh　again；　and；　thank



God；　I　can　look　upon　the　world　as　a　farce　even　when　it　becomes　as



tragic　as　it　sometimes　does。　All　comes　out　even　at　the　end　of　the



day；　and　all　comes　out　still　more　even　when　all　the　days　are



over。〃







Much　as　we　may　admire　such　a　robust　old　gamecock　spirit　in　a



valetudinarian；　to　call　it　a　religious　spirit　would　be　odd。　　Yet



it　is　for　the　moment　Voltaire's　reaction　on　the　whole　of　life。　



Je　me'n　fiche　is　the　vulgar　French　equivalent　for　our　English



ejaculation　〃Who　cares？〃　　　And　the　happy　term　je　me'n　fichisme



recently　has　been　invented　to　designate　the　systematic



determination　not　to　take　anything　in　　life　too　solemnly。　



〃All　is　vanity〃　is　the　relieving　word　in　all　difficult　crises　for



this　mode　of　thought；　which　that　exquisite　literary　genius　Renan



took　pleasure；　in　his　later　days　of　sweet　decay；　in　putting　into



coquettishly　sacrilegious　forms　which　remain　to　us　as　excellent



expressions　of　the　〃all　is　vanity〃　state　of　mind。　　Take　the



following　passage；　for　examplewe　must　hold　to　duty；　even



against　the　evidence；　Renan　saysbut　he　then　goes　on：







〃There　are　many　chances　that　the　world　may　be　nothing　but　a　fairy



pantomime　of　which　no　God　has　care。　　We　must　therefore　arrange



ourselves　so　that　on　neither　hypothesis　we　shall　be　completely



wrong。　　We　must　listen　to　the　superior　voices；　but　in　such　a　way



that　if　the　second　hypothesis　were　true　we　should　not　have　been



too　completely　duped。　　If　in　effect　the　world　be　not　a　serious



thing；　it　is　the　dogmatic　people　who　will　be　the　shallow　ones；



and　the　worldly　minded　whom　the　theologians　now　call　frivolous



will　be　those　who　are　really　wise。







〃In　utrumque　paratus；　then。　　Be　ready　for　anythingthat　perhaps



is　wisdom。　　Give　ourselves　up；　according　to　the　hour；　to



confidence；　to　skepticism；　to　optimism；　to　irony　and　we　may　be



sure　that　at　certain　moments　at　least　we　shall　be　with　the　truth。



。　。　。　　Good…humor　is　a　philosophic　state　of　mind；　it　seems　to　say



to　Nature　that　we　take　her　no　more　seriously　than　she　takes　us。　



I　maintain　that　one　should　always　talk　of　philosophy　with　a



smile。　　We　owe　it　to　the　Eternal　to　be　virtuous　but　we　have　the



right　to　add　to　this　tribute　our　irony　as　a　sort　of　personal



reprisal。　　In　this　way　we　return　to　the　right　quarter　jest　for



jest；　we　play　the　trick　that　has　been　played　on　us。　Saint



Augustine's　phrase：　　Lord；　if　we　arc　deceived；　it　is　by　thee！



remains　a　fine　one；　well　suited　to　our　modern　feeling。　　Only　we



wish　the　Eternal　to　know　that　if　we　accept　the　fraud；　we　accept



it　knowingly　and　willingly。　　We　are　resigned　in　advance　to　losing



the　interest　on　our　investments　of　virtue；　but　we　wish　not　to



appear　ridiculous　by　having　counted　on　them　too　securely。〃＇12＇







＇12＇　Feuilles　detachees；　pp。　394…398　（abridged）。















Surely　all　the　usual　associations　of　the　word　〃religion〃　would



have　to　be　stripped　away　if　such　a　systematic　parti　pris　of　irony



were　also　to　be　denoted　by　the　name。　　For　common　men　〃religion；〃



whatever　more　special　meanings　it　may　have；　signifies　always　a



SERIOUS　state　of　mind。　　If　any　one　phrase　could　gather　its



universal　message；　that　phrase　would　be；　〃All　is　not　vanity　in



this　Universe；　whatever　the　appearances　may　suggest。〃　　If　it　can



stop　anything；　religion　as　commonly　apprehended　can　stop　just



such　chaffing　talk　as　Renan's。　　It　favors　gravity；　not　pertness；



it　says　〃hush〃　to　all　vain　chatter　and　smart　wit。







But　if　hostile　to　light　irony；　religion　is　equally　hostile　to



heavy　grumbling　and　complaint。　　The　world　appears　tragic　enough



in　some　religions；　but　the　tragedy　is　realized　as　purging；　and　a



way　of　deliverance　is　held　to　exist。　We　shall　see　enough　of　the



religious　melancholy　in　a　future　lecture；　but　melancholy；



according　to　our　ordinary　use　of　language；　forfeits　all　title　to



be　called　religious　when；　in　Marcus　Aurelius's　racy　words；　the



sufferer　simply　lies　kicking　and　screaming　after　the　fashion　of　a



sacrificed　pig。　　The　mood　of　a　Schopenhauer　or　a　Nietzscheand



in　a　less　degree　one　may　sometimes　say　the　same　of　our　own　sad



Carlylethough　often　an　ennobling　sadness；　is　almost　as　often



only　peevishness　running　away　with　the　bit　between　its　teeth。　



The　sallies　of　the　two　German　authors　remind　one；　half　the　time；



of　the　sick　shriekings　of　two　dying　rats。　　They　lack　the



purgatorial　note　which　religious　sadness　gives　forth。







There　must　be　something　solemn；　serious；　and　tender　about　any



attitude　which　we　denominate　religious。　　If　glad；　it　must　not



grin　or　snicker；　if　sad；　it　must　not　scream　or　curse。　　It　is



precisely　as　being　SOLEMN　experiences　that　I　wish　to　interest　you



in　religious　experiences。　　So　I　proposearbitrarily　again；　if



you　pleaseto　narrow　our　definition　once　more　by　saying　that　the



word　〃divine；〃　as　employed　therein；　shall　mean　for　us　not　merely



the　primal　and　enveloping　and　real；　for　that　meaning　if　taken



without　restriction　might　prove　too　broad。　　The　divine　shall　mean



for　us　only　such　a　primal　reality　as　the　individual　feels



impelled　to　respond　to　solemnly　and　gravely；　and　neither　by　a



curse　nor　a　jest。







But　solemnity；　and　gravity；　and　all　such　emotional　attributes；



admit　of　various　shades；　and；　do　what　we　will　with　our　defining；



the　truth　must　at　last　be　confronted　that　we　are　dealing　with　a



field　of　experience　where　there　is　not　a　single　conception　that



can　be　sharply　drawn。　　The　pretension；　under　such　conditions；　to



be　rigorously　〃scientific〃　or　〃exact〃　in　our　terms　would　only



stamp　us　as　lacking　in　understanding　of　our　task。　　Things　are



more　or　less　divine；　states　of　mind　are　more　or　less　religious；



reactions　are