bentham-第5节

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　than　a　thoughtful　regard　for　previous　thinkers；　and　for　the　collective　mind　of　the　human　race。　What　has　been　the　opinion　of　mankind；　has　been　the　opinion　of　persons　of　all　tempers　and　dispositions；　of　all　partialities　and　prepossessions；　of　all　varieties　in　position；　in　education；　in　opportunities　of　observation　and　inquiry。　No　one　inquirer　is　all　this；　every　inquirer　is　either　young　or　old；　rich　or　poor；　sickly　or　healthy；　married　or　unmarried；　meditative　or　active；　a　poet　or　a　logician；　an　ancient　or　a　modern；　a　man　or　a　woman；　and　if　a　thinking　person；　has；　in　addition；　the　accidental　peculiarities　of　his　individual　modes　of　thought。　Every　circumstance　which　gives　a　character　to　the　life　of　a　human　being；　carries　with　it　its　peculiar　biases；　its　peculiar　facilities　for　perceiving　some　things；　and　for　missing　or　forgetting　others。　But；　from　points　of　view　different　from　his；　different　things　are　perceptible；　and　none　are　more　likely　to　have　seen　what　he　does　not　see；　than　those　who　do　not　see　what　he　sees。　The　general　opinion　of　mankind　is　the　average　of　the　conclusions　of　all　minds；　stripped　indeed　of　their　choicest　and　most　recondite　thoughts；　but　freed　from　their　twists　and　partialities：　a　net　result；　in　which　everybody's　point　of　view　is　represented；　nobody's　predominant。　The　collective　mind　does　not　penetrate　below　the　surface；　but　it　sees　all　the　surface；　which　profound　thinkers；　even　by　reason　of　their　profundity；　often　fail　to　do：　their　intenser　view　of　a　thing　in　some　of　its　aspects　diverting　their　attention　from　others。　　　　　The　hardiest　assertor；　therefore；　of　the　freedom　of　private　judgment　the　keenest　detector　of　the　errors　of　his　predecessors；　and　of　the　inaccuracies　of　current　modes　of　thought　　is　the　very　person　who　most　needs　to　fortify　the　weak　side　of　his　own　intellect；　by　study　of　the　opinions　of　mankind　in　all　ages　and　nations；　and　of　the　speculations　of　philosophers　of　the　modes　of　thought　most　opposite　to　his　own。　It　is　there　that　he　will　find　the　experiences　denied　to　himself　　the　remainder　of　the　truth　of　which　he　sees　but　half　　the　truths；　of　which　the　errors　he　detects　are　commonly　but　the　exaggerations。　If；　like　Bentham；　he　brings　with　him　an　improved　instrument　of　investigation；　the　greater　is　the　probability　that　he　will　find　ready　prepared　a　rich　abundance　of　rough　ore；　which　was　merely　waiting　for　that　instrument。　A　man　of　clear　ideas　errs　grievously　if　he　imagines　that　whatever　is　seen　confusedly　does　not　exist：　it　belongs　to　him；　when　he　meets　with　such　a　thing；　to　dispel　the　mist；　and　fix　the　outlines　of　the　vague　form　which　is　looming　through　it。　　　　　Bentham's　contempt；　then；　of　all　other　schools　of　thinkers；　his　determination　to　create　a　philosophy　wholly　out　of　the　materials　furnished　by　his　own　mind；　and　by　minds　like　his　own；　was　his　first　disqualification　as　a　philosopher。　His　second；　was　the　incompleteness　of　his　own　mind　as　a　representative　of　universal　human　nature。　In　many　of　the　most　natural　and　strongest　feelings　of　human　nature　he　had　no　sympathy；　from　many　of　its　graver　experiences　he　was　altogether　cut　off；　and　the　faculty　by　which　one　mind　understands　a　mind　different　from　itself；　and　throws　itself　into　the　feelings　of　that　other　mind；　was　denied　him　by　his　deficiency　of　Imagination。　　　　　With　Imagination　in　the　popular　sense；　command　of　imagery　and　metaphorical　expression；　Bentham　was；　to　a　certain　degree；　endowed。　For　want；　indeed；　of　poetical　culture；　the　images　with　which　his　fancy　supplied　him　were　seldom　beautiful；　but　they　were　quaint　and　humorous；　or　bold；　forcible；　and　intense：　passages　might　be　quoted　from　him　both　of　playful　irony；　and　of　declamatory　eloquence；　seldom　surpassed　in　the　writings　of　philosophers。　The　Imagination　which　he　had　not；　was　that　to　which　the　name　is　generally　appropriated　by　the　best　writers　of　the　present　day；　that　which　enables　us；　by　a　voluntary　effort；　to　conceive　the　absent　as　if　it　were　present；　the　imaginary　as　if　it　were　real；　and　to　cloth　it　in　the　feelings　which；　if　it　were　indeed　real；　it　would　bring　along　with　it。　This　is　the　power　by　which　one　human　being　enters　into　the　mind　and　circumstances　of　another。　This　power　constitutes　the　poet；　in　so　far　as　he　does　anything　but　melodiously　utter　his　own　actual　feelings。　It　constitutes　the　dramatist　entirely。　It　is　one　of　the　constituents　of　the　historian；　by　it　we　understand　other　times；　by　it　Guizot　interprets　to　us　the　middle　ages；　Nisard；　in　his　beautiful　Studies　on　the　later　Latin　poets；　places　us　in　the　Rome　of　the　Caesars；　Michelet　disengages　the　distinctive　characters　of　the　different　races　and　generations　of　mankind　from　the　facts　of　their　history。　Without　it　nobody　knows　even　his　own　nature；　further　than　circumstances　have　actually　tried　it　and　called　it　out；　nor　the　nature　of　his　fellow…creatures；　beyond　such　generalizations　as　he　may　have　been　enabled　to　make　from　his　observation　of　their　outward　conduct。　　　　　By　these　limits；　accordingly；　Bentham's　knowledge　of　human　nature　is　bounded。　It　is　wholly　empirical；　and　the　empiricism　of　one　who　has　had　little　experience。　He　had　neither　internal　experience　nor　external；　the　quiet；　even　tenor　of　his　life；　and　his　healthiness　of　mind；　conspired　to　exclude　him　from　both。　He　never　knew　prosperity　and　adversity；　passion　nor　satiety。　he　never　had　even　the　experiences　which　sickness　gives；　he　lived　from　childhood　to　the　age　of　eighty…five　in　boyish　health。　He　knew　no　dejection；　no　heaviness　of　heart。　He　never　felt　life　a　sore　and　a　weary　burthen。　He　was　a　boy　to　the　last。　Self…consciousness；　that　daemon　of　the　men　of　genius　of　our　time；　from　Wordsworth　to　Byron；　from　Goethe　to　Chateaubriand；　and　to　which　this　age　owes　so　much　both　of　its　cheerful　and　its　mournful　wisdom；　never　was　awakened　in　him。　How　much　of　human　nature　slumbered　in　him　he　knew　not；　neither　can　we　know。　He　had　never　been　made　alive　to　the　unseen　influences　which　were　acting　on　himself；　nor　consequently　on　his　fellow…creatures。　Other　ages　and　other　nations　were　a　blank　to　him　for　purposes　of　instruction。　He　measured　them　but　by　one　standard；　their　knowledge　of　facts；　and　their　capability　to　take　correct　views　of　utility；　and　merge　all　other　objects　in　it。　His　own　lot　was　cast　in　a　generation　of　the　leanest　and　barrenest　men　whom　England　had　yet　produced；　and　he　was　an　old　man　when　a　better　race　came　in　with　the　present　century。　He　saw　accordingly　in　man　little　but　what　the　vulgarest　eye　can　see；　recognized　no　diversities　of　character　but　such　as　he　who　runs　may　read。　Knowing　so　little　of　human　feelings；　he　knew　still　less　of　the　influences　by　which　those　feelings　are　formed：　all　the　more　subtle　workings　both　of　the　mind　upon　itself；　and　of　external　things　upon　the　mind；　escaped　him；　and　no　one；　probably；　who；　in　a　highly　instructed　age；　ever　attempted　to　give　a　rule　to　all　human　conduct；　set　out　with　a　more　limited　conception　either　of　the　agencies　by　which　human　conduct　is；　or　of　those　by　which　it　should　be；　influenced。　　　　　This；　then；　is　our　idea　of　Bentham。　He　was　a　man　both　of　remarkable　endowments　for　philosophy；　and　of　remarkable　deficiencies　for　it：　fitted；　beyond　almost　any　man；　for　drawing　from　his　premises；　conclusions　not　only　correct；　but　sufficiently　precise　and　specific　to　be　practical：　but　whose　general　conception　of　human　nature　and　life　furnished　him　with　an　unusually　slender　stock　of　premises。　It　is　obvious　what　would　be　likely　to　be　achieved　by　such　a　man；　what　a　thinker；　thus　gifted　and　thus　disqualified；　could　do　in　philosophy。　He　could；　with　close　and　accurate　logic；　hunt　half…truths　to　their　consequences　and　practical　applications；　on　a　scale　both　of　greatness　and　of　minuteness　not　previously　exemplified；　and　this　is　the　character　which　posterity　will　probably　assign　to　Bentham。　　　　　We　express　our　sincere　and　well…considered　conviction　when　we　say；　that　there　is　hardly　anything　positive　in　Bentham's　philosophy　which　is　not　true：　that　when　his　practical　conclusions　are　erroneous；　which　in　our　opinion　they　are　very　often；　it　is　not　because　the　considerations　which　he　urges　are　not　rational　and　valid　in　themselves；　but　because　some　more　important　principle；　which　he　did　not　perceive；　supersedes　those　considerations；　and　turns　the　scale。　The　bad　part　of　his　writings　is　his　resolute　denial　of　all　that　he　does　not　see；　of　all　truths　but　those　which　he　recognizes。　By　that　alone　has　he　exercised　any　bad　influence　upon　his　age；　by　that　he　has；　not　created　a　school　of　deniers；　for　this　is　an　ignorant　prejudice；　but　put　himself　at　the　head　of　the　school　which　exists　always；　though　it　does　not　always　find　a　great　man　to　give　it　the　sanction　of　philosophy。　thrown　the　mantle　of　intellect　over　the　natural　tendency　of　men　in　all　ages　to　deny　or　disparage　all　feelings　and　mental　states　of　which　they　have　no　consciousness　in　themselves。　　　　　The　truths　which　are　not　Bentham's；　which　his　philosophy　takes　no　account　of；　are　many　and　important；　but　his　non…recognition　of　them　does　not　put　them　out　of　existence；　they　are　still　with　us；　and　it　is　a　comparatively　easy　task　that　is　reserved　for　us；　to　harmonize　those　truths　with　his。　To　reject　his　half　of　the　truth　because　he　overlooked　the　other　half；　would　be　to　fall　into　his　error　without　having　his　excuse。　For　our　own　part；　we　have