lecture03-第2节

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！





from　one　to　two；　and　from　two　to　all　fair　forms；　and　from　fair



forms　to　fair　actions；　and　from　fair　actions　to　fair　notions；



until　from　fair　notions；　he　arrives　at　the　notion　of　absolute



Beauty；　and　at　last　knows　what　the　essence　of　Beauty　is。〃＇22＇　　In



our　last　lecture　we　had　a　glimpse　of　the　way　in　which　a



platonizing　writer　like　Emerson　may　treat　the　abstract　divineness



of　things；　the　moral　structure　of　the　universe；　as　a　fact　worthy



of　worship。　　In　those　various　churches　without　a　God　which　to…day



are　spreading　through　the　world　under　the　name　of　ethical



societies；　we　have　a　similar　worship　of　the　abstract　divine；　the



moral　law　believed　in　as　an　ultimate　object。　　〃Science〃　in　many



minds　is　genuinely　taking　the　place　of　a　religion。　　Where　this　is



so；　the　scientist　treats　the　〃Laws　of　Nature〃　as　objective　facts



to　be　revered。　　A　brilliant　school　of　interpretation　of　Greek



mythology　would　have　it　that　in　their　origin　the　Greek　gods　were



only　half…metaphoric　personifications　of　those　great　spheres　of



abstract　law　and　order　into　which　the　natural　world　falls



apartthe　sky…sphere；　the　ocean…sphere；　the　earth…sphere；　and



the　like；　just　as　even　now　we　may　speak　of　the　smile　of　the



morning；　the　kiss　of　the　breeze；　or　the　bite　of　the　cold；　without



really　meaning　that　these　phenomena　of　nature　actually　wear　a



human　face。＇23＇







＇22＇　Symposium；　Jowett；　1871；　i。　　527。







＇23＇　Example：　　〃Nature　is　always　so　interesting；　under　whatever



aspect　she　shows　herself；　that　when　it　rains；　I　seem　to　see　a



beautiful　woman　weeping。　　She　appears　the　more　beautiful；　the



more　afflicted　she　is。〃　　　B。　de　St。　Pierre。















As　regards　the　origin　of　the　Greek　gods；　we　need　not　at　present



seek　an　opinion。　　But　the　whole　array　of　our　instances　leads　to　a



conclusion　something　like　this：　　It　is　as　if　there　were　in　the



human　consciousness　a　sense　of　reality；　a　feeling　of　objective



presence；　a　perception　of　what　we　may　call　〃something　there；〃



more　deep　and　more　general　than　any　of　the　special　and　particular



〃senses〃　by　which　the　current　psychology　supposes　existent



realities　to　be　originally　revealed。　　If　this　were　so；　we　might



suppose　the　senses　to　waken　our　attitudes　and　conduct　as　they　so



habitually　do；　by　first　exciting　this　sense　of　reality；　but



anything　else；　any　idea；　for　example；　that　might　similarly　excite



it；　would　have　that　same　prerogative　of　appearing　real　which



objects　of　sense　normally　possess。　　So　far　as　religious



conceptions　were　able　to　touch　this　reality…feeling；　they　would



be　believed　in　in　spite　of　criticism；　even　though　they　might　be



so　vague　and　remote　as　to　be　almost　unimaginable；　even　though



they　might　be　such　non…entities　in　point　of　WHATNESS；　as　Kant



makes　the　objects　of　his　moral　theology　to　be。







The　most　curious　proofs　of　the　existence　of　such　an



undifferentiated　sense　of　reality　as　this　are　found　in



experiences　of　hallucination。　　It　often　happens　that　an



hallucination　is　imperfectly　developed：　　the　person　affected　will



feel　a　〃presence〃　in　the　room；　definitely　localized；　facing　in



one　particular　way；　real　in　the　most　emphatic　sense　of　the　word；



often　coming　suddenly；　and　as　suddenly　gone；　and　yet　neither



seen；　heard；　touched；　nor　cognized　in　any　of　the　usual　〃sensible〃



ways。　　Let　me　give　you　an　example　of　this；　before　I　pass　to　the



objects　with　whose　presence　religion　is　more　peculiarly



concerned。







An　intimate　friend　of　mine；　one　of　the　keenest　intellects　I　know；



has　had　several　experiences　of　this　sort。　　He　writes　as　follows



in　response　to　my　inquiries：







〃I　have　several　times　within　the　past　few　years　felt　the　so…



called　'consciousness　of　a　presence。'　　The　experiences　which　I



have　in　mind　are　clearly　distinguishable　from　another　kind　of



experience　which　I　have　had　very　frequently；　and　which　I　fancy



many　persons　would　also　call　the　'consciousness　of　a　presence。'



But　the　difference　for　me　between　the　two　sets　of　experience　is



as　great　as　the　difference　between　feeling　a　slight　warmth



originating　I　know　not　where；　and　standing　in　the　midst　of　a



conflagration　with　all　the　ordinary　senses　alert。







〃It　was　about　September；　1884；　when　I　had　the　first　experience。



On　the　previous　night　I　had　had；　after　getting　into　bed　at　my



rooms　in　College；　a　vivid　tactile　hallucination　of　being　grasped



by　the　arm；　which　made　me　get　up　and　search　the　room　for　an



intruder；　but　the　sense　of　presence　properly　so　called　came　on



the　next　night。　　After　I　had　got　into　bed　and　blown　out　the



candle；　I　lay　awake　awhile　thinking　on　the　previous　night's



experience；　when　suddenly　I　FELT　something　come　into　the　room　and



stay　close　to　my　bed。　　It　remained　only　a　minute　or　two。　　I　did



not　recognize　it　by　any　ordinary　sense　and　yet　there　was　a



horribly　unpleasant　'sensation'　connected　with　it。　　It　stirred



something　more　at　the　roots　of　my　being　than　any　ordinary



perception。　　The　feeling　had　something　of　the　quality　of　a　very



large　tearing　vital　pain　spreading　chiefly　over　the　chest；　but



within　the　organismand　yet　the　feeling　was　not　PAIN　so　much　as



ABHORRENCE。　　At　all　events；　something　was　present　with　me；　and　I



knew　its　presence　far　more　surely　than　I　have　ever　known　the



presence　of　any　fleshly　living　creature。　　I　was　conscious　of　its



departure　as　of　its　coming：　　an　almost　instantaneously　swift



going　through　the　door；　and　the　'horrible　sensation'　disappeared。







〃On　the　third　night　when　I　retired　my　mind　was　absorbed　in　some



lectures　which　I　was　preparing；　and　I　was　still　absorbed　in　these



when　I　became　aware　of　the　actual　presence　（though　not　of　the



COMING）　of　the　thing　that　was　there　the　night　before；　and　of　the



'horrible　sensation。'　I　then　mentally　concentrated　all　my　effort



to　charge　this　'thing；'　if　it　was　evil　to　depart；　if　it　was　NOT



evil；　to　tell　me　who　or　what　it　was；　and　if　it　could　not　explain



itself；　to　go；　and　that　I　would　compel　it　　to　go。　　It　went



as　on　the　previous　night；　and　my　body　quickly　recovered　its



normal　state。







〃On　two　other　occasions　in　my　life　I　have　had　precisely　the　same



'horrible　sensation。'　　Once　it　lasted　a　full　quarter　of　an　hour。　



In　all　three　instances　the　certainty　that　there　in　outward　space



there　stood　SOMETHING　was　indescribably　STRONGER　than　the



ordinary　certainty　of　companionship　when　we　are　in　the　close



presence　of　ordinary　living　people。　　The　something　seemed　close



to　me；　and　intensely　more　real　than　any　ordinary　perception。



Although　I　felt　it　to　be　like　unto　myself　so　to　speak；　or　finite；



small；　and　distressful；　as　it　were；　I　didn't　recognize　it　as　any



individual　being　or　person。〃







Of　course　such　an　experience　as　this　does　not　connect　itself　with



the　religious　sphere。　　Yet　it　may　upon　occasion　do　so；　and　the



same　correspondent　informs　me　that　at　more　than　one　other



conjuncture　he　had　the　sense　of　presence　developed　with　equal



intensity　and　abruptness；　only　then　it　was　filled　with　a　quality



of　joy。







〃There　was　not　a　mere　consciousness　of　something　there；　but　fused



in　the　central　happiness　of　it；　a　startling　awareness　of　some



ineffable　good。　　Not　vague　either；　not　like　the　emotional　effect



of　some　poem；　or　scene；　or　blossom；　of　music；　but　the　sure



knowledge　of　the　close　presence　of　a　sort　of　mighty　person；　and



after　it　went；　the　memory　persisted　as　the　one　perception　of



reality。　　Everything　else　might　be　a　dream；　but　not　that。〃







My　friend；　as　it　oddly　happens；　does　not　interpret　these　latter



experiences　theistically；　as　signifying　the　presence　of　God。　　But



it　would　clearly　not　have　been　unnatural　to　interpret　them　as　a



revelation　of　the　deity's　existence。　　When　we　reach　the　subject



of　mysticism；　we　shall　have　much　more　to　say　upon　this　head。







Lest　the　oddity　of　these　phenomena　should　disconcert　you；　I　will



venture　to　read　you　a　couple　of　similar　narratives；　much　shorter；



merely　to　show　that　we　are　dealing　with　a　well…marked　natural



kind　of　fact。　　In　the　first　case；　which　I　　take　from　the



Journal　of　the　Society　for　Psychical　Research；　the　sense　of



presence　developed　in　a　few　moments　into　a　distinctly



visualized　hallucinationbut　I　leave　that　part　of　the　story　out。







〃I　had　read；〃　the　narrator　says；　〃some　twenty　minutes　or　so；　was



thoroughly　absorbed　in　the　book；　my　mind　was　perfectly　quiet；　and



for　the　time　being　my　friends　were　quite　forgotten；　when　suddenly



without　a　moment's　warning　my　whole