second epilogue-第11节

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　　To　imagine　a　man　perfectly　free　and　not　subject　to　the　law　of

inevitability；　we　must　imagine　him　all　alone；　beyond　space；　beyond

time；　and　free　from　dependence　on　cause。

　　In　the　first　case；　if　inevitability　were　possible　without　freedom　we

should　have　reached　a　definition　of　inevitability　by　the　laws　of

inevitability　itself；　that　is；　a　mere　form　without　content。

　　In　the　second　case；　if　freedom　were　possible　without　inevitability

we　should　have　arrived　at　unconditioned　freedom　beyond　space；　time；

and　cause；　which　by　the　fact　of　its　being　unconditioned　and

unlimited　would　be　nothing；　or　mere　content　without　form。

　　We　should　in　fact　have　reached　those　two　fundamentals　of　which　man's

whole　outlook　on　the　universe　is　constructed…　the　incomprehensible

essence　of　life；　and　the　laws　defining　that　essence。

　　Reason　says：　（1）　space　with　all　the　forms　of　matter　that　give　it

visibility　is　infinite；　and　cannot　be　imagined　otherwise。　（2）　Time

is　infinite　motion　without　a　moment　of　rest　and　is　unthinkable

otherwise。　（3）　The　connection　between　cause　and　effect　has　no

beginning　and　can　have　no　end。

　　Consciousness　says：　（1）　I　alone　am；　and　all　that　exists　is　but　me；

consequently　I　include　space。　（2）　I　measure　flowing　time　by　the

fixed　moment　of　the　present　in　which　alone　I　am　conscious　of　myself　as

living；　consequently　I　am　outside　time。　（3）　I　am　beyond　cause；　for　I

feel　myself　to　be　the　cause　of　every　manifestation　of　my　life。

　　Reason　gives　expression　to　the　laws　of　inevitability。

Consciousness　gives　expression　to　the　essence　of　freedom。

　　Freedom　not　limited　by　anything　is　the　essence　of　life；　in　man's

consciousness。　Inevitability　without　content　is　man's　reason　in　its

three　forms。

　　Freedom　is　the　thing　examined。　Inevitability　is　what　examines。

Freedom　is　the　content。　Inevitability　is　the　form。

　　Only　by　separating　the　two　sources　of　cognition；　related　to　one

another　as　form　to　content；　do　we　get　the　mutually　exclusive　and

separately　incomprehensible　conceptions　of　freedom　and　inevitability。

　　Only　by　uniting　them　do　we　get　a　clear　conception　of　man's　life。

　　Apart　from　these　two　concepts　which　in　their　union　mutually　define

one　another　as　form　and　content；　no　conception　of　life　is　possible。

　　All　that　we　know　of　the　life　of　man　is　merely　a　certain　relation

of　free　will　to　inevitability；　that　is；　of　consciousness　to　the　laws

of　reason。

　　All　that　we　know　of　the　external　world　of　nature　is　only　a　certain

relation　of　the　forces　of　nature　to　inevitability；　or　of　the　essence

of　life　to　the　laws　of　reason。

　　The　great　natural　forces　lie　outside　us　and　we　are　not　conscious

of　them；　we　call　those　forces　gravitation；　inertia；　electricity；

animal　force；　and　so　on；　but　we　are　conscious　of　the　force　of　life

in　man　and　we　call　that　freedom。

　　But　just　as　the　force　of　gravitation；　incomprehensible　in　itself　but

felt　by　every　man；　is　understood　by　us　only　to　the　extent　to　which

we　know　the　laws　of　inevitability　to　which　it　is　subject　（from　the

first　knowledge　that　all　bodies　have　weight；　up　to　Newton's　law）；　so

too　the　force　of　free　will；　incomprehensible　in　itself　but　of　which

everyone　is　conscious；　is　intelligible　to　us　only　in　as　far　as　we　know

the　laws　of　inevitability　to　which　it　is　subject　（from　the　fact　that

every　man　dies；　up　to　the　knowledge　of　the　most　complex　economic　and

historic　laws）。

　　All　knowledge　is　merely　a　bringing　of　this　essence　of　life　under　the

laws　of　reason。

　　Man's　free　will　differs　from　every　other　force　in　that　man　is

directly　conscious　of　it；　but　in　the　eyes　of　reason　it　in　no　way

differs　from　any　other　force。　The　forces　of　gravitation；

electricity；　or　chemical　affinity　are　only　distinguished　from　one

another　in　that　they　are　differently　defined　by　reason。　Just　so　the

force　of　man's　free　will　is　distinguished　by　reason　from　the　other

forces　of　nature　only　by　the　definition　reason　gives　it。　Freedom；

apart　from　necessity；　that　is；　apart　from　the　laws　of　reason　that

define　it；　differs　in　no　way　from　gravitation；　or　heat；　or　the　force

that　makes　things　grow；　for　reason；　it　is　only　a　momentary　undefinable

sensation　of　life。

　　And　as　the　undefinable　essence　of　the　force　moving　the　heavenly

bodies；　the　undefinable　essence　of　the　forces　of　heat　and　electricity；

or　of　chemical　affinity；　or　of　the　vital　force；　forms　the　content　of

astronomy；　physics；　chemistry；　botany；　zoology；　and　so　on；　just　in　the

same　way　does　the　force　of　free　will　form　the　content　of　history。

But　just　as　the　subject　of　every　science　is　the　manifestation　of

this　unknown　essence　of　life　while　that　essence　itself　can　only　be　the

subject　of　metaphysics；　even　the　manifestation　of　the　force　of　free

will　in　human　beings　in　space；　in　time；　and　in　dependence　on　cause

forms　the　subject　of　history；　while　free　will　itself　is　the　subject　of

metaphysics。

　　In　the　experimental　sciences　what　we　know　we　call　the　laws　of

inevitability；　what　is　unknown　to　us　we　call　vital　force。　Vital

force　is　only　an　expression　for　the　unknown　remainder　over　and　above

what　we　know　of　the　essence　of　life。

　　So　also　in　history　what　is　known　to　us　we　call　laws　of

inevitability；　what　is　unknown　we　call　free　will。　Free　will　is　for

history　only　an　expression　for　the　unknown　remainder　of　what　we　know

about　the　laws　of　human　life。

EP2｜CH11

　　CHAPTER　XI



　　History　examines　the　manifestations　of　man's　free　will　in　connection

with　the　external　world　in　time　and　in　dependence　on　cause；　that　is；

it　defines　this　freedom　by　the　laws　of　reason；　and　so　history　is　a

science　only　in　so　far　as　this　free　will　is　defined　by　those　laws。

　　The　recognition　of　man's　free　will　as　something　capable　of

influencing　historical　events；　that　is；　as　not　subject　to　laws；　is　the

same　for　history　as　the　recognition　of　a　free　force　moving　the

heavenly　bodies　would　be　for　astronomy。

　　That　assumption　would　destroy　the　possibility　of　the　existence　of

laws；　that　is；　of　any　science　whatever。　If　there　is　even　a　single　body

moving　freely；　then　the　laws　of　Kepler　and　Newton　are　negatived　and　no

conception　of　the　movement　of　the　heavenly　bodies　any　longer　exists。

If　any　single　action　is　due　to　free　will；　then　not　a　single　historical

law　can　exist；　nor　any　conception　of　historical　events。

　　For　history；　lines　exist　of　the　movement　of　human　wills；　one　end

of　which　is　hidden　in　the　unknown　but　at　the　other　end　of　which　a

consciousness　of　man's　will　in　the　present　moves　in　space；　time；　and

dependence　on　cause。

　　The　more　this　field　of　motion　spreads　out　before　our　eyes；　the

more　evident　are　the　laws　of　that　movement。　To　discover　and　define

those　laws　is　the　problem　of　history。

　　From　the　standpoint　from　which　the　science　of　history　now　regards

its　subject　on　the　path　it　now　follows；　seeking　the　causes　of　events

in　man's　freewill；　a　scientific　enunciation　of　those　laws　is

impossible；　for　however　man's　free　will　may　be　restricted；　as　soon

as　we　recognize　it　as　a　force　not　subject　to　law；　the　existence　of　law

becomes　impossible。

　　Only　by　reducing　this　element　of　free　will　to　the　infinitesimal；

that　is；　by　regarding　it　as　an　infinitely　small　quantity；　can　we

convince　ourselves　of　the　absolute　inaccessibility　of　the　causes；

and　then　instead　of　seeking　causes；　history　will　take　the　discovery　of

laws　as　its　problem。

　　The　search　for　these　laws　has　long　been　begun　and　the　new　methods　of

thought　which　history　must　adopt　are　being　worked　out　simultaneously

with　the　self…destruction　toward　which…　ever　dissecting　and　dissecting

the　causes　of　phenomena…　the　old　method　of　history　is　moving。

　　All　human　sciences　have　traveled　along　that　path。　Arriving　at

infinitesimals；　mathematics；　the　most　exact　of　sciences；　abandons

the　process　of　analysis　and　enters　on　the　new　process　of　the

integration　of　unknown；　infinitely　small；　quantities。　Abandoning　the

conception　of　cause；　mathematics　seeks　law；　that　is；　the　property

common　to　all　unknown；　infinitely　small；　elements。

　　In　another　form　but　along　the　same　path　of　reflection　the　other

sciences　have　proceeded。　When　Newton　enunciated　the　law　of　gravity

he　did　not　say　that　the　sun　or　the　earth　had　a　property　of　attraction；

he　said　that　all　bodies　from　the　largest　to　the　smallest　have　the

property　of　attracting　one　another；　that　is；　leaving　aside　the

question　of　the　cause　of　the　movement　of　the　bodies；　he　expressed

the　property　common　to　all　bodies　from　the　infinitely　large　to　the

infinitely　small。　The　same　is　done　by　the　natural　sciences：　leaving

aside　the　question　of　cause；　they　seek　for　laws。　History　stands　on　the

same　path。　And　if　history　has　for　its　object　the　study　of　the　movement

of　the　nations　and　of　humanity　and　not　the　narration　of　episodes　in

the　lives　of　individuals；　it　too；　setting　aside　the　conception　of

cause；　should　seek　the　laws　common　to　all　the　inseparably

interconnected　infinitesimal　elements　of　free　will。

EP2｜CH12

　　CHAPTER　XII



　　From　the　time　the　law　of　Copernicus　was　discovered　and　proved；　the

mere　recognition　of　the　fact　that　it　was　not　the　sun　but　the　earth

that　moves　sufficed　to　destroy　the　whole　cosmogra