the origins of contemporary france-1-第61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！



mirror　everywhere　transportable；　the　best　adapted　to　reflect　all

phrases　of　nature　and　of　life。　　After　reading　the　series　of　English

novelists；　Defoe；　Richardson；　Fielding；　Smollett；　Sterne；　and

Goldsmith　down　to　Miss　Burney　and　Miss　Austen；　I　have　become　familiar

with　England　in　the　eighteenth　century；　I　have　encountered　clergymen；

country　gentlemen；　farmers；　innkeepers；　sailors；　people　of　every

condition　in　life；　high　and　low；　I　know　the　details　of　fortunes　and　of

careers；　how　much　is　earned；　how　much　is　expended；　how　journeys　are

made　and　how　people　eat　and　drink：　I　have　accumulated　for　myself　a

file　of　precise　biographical　events；　a　complete　picture　in　a　thousand

scenes　of　an　entire　community；　the　amplest　stock　of　information　to

guide　me　should　I　wish　to　frame　a　history　of　this　vanished　world。　　On

reading　a　corresponding　list　of　French　novelists；　the　younger

Crébillon；　Rousseau；　Marmontel；　Laclos；　Restif　de　la　Breton；　Louvet；

Madame　de　Sta？l；　Madame　de　Genlis　and　the　rest；　including　Mercier　and

even　Mme。　　Cottin；　I　scarcely　take　any　notes；　all　precise　and

instructive　little　facts　are　left　out；　I　find　civilities；　polite　acts；

gallantries；　mischief…making；　social　dissertations　and　nothing　else。

They　carefully　abstain　from　mentioning　money；　from　giving　me　figures；

from　describing　a　wedding；　a　trial；　the　administration　of　a　piece　of

property；　I　am　ignorant　of　the　situation　of　a　curate；　of　a　rustic

noble；　of　a　resident　prior；　of　a　steward；　of　an　intendant。　　Whatever

relates　to　a　province　or　to　the　rural　districts；　to　the　bourgeoisie　or

to　the　shop；＇36＇　to　the　army　or　to　a　soldier；　to　the　clergy　or　to

convents；　to　justice　or　to　the　police；　to　business　or　to　housekeeping

remains　vaguely　in　my　mind　or　is　falsified；　to　clear　up　any　point　I　am

obliged　to　recur　to　that　marvelous　Voltaire　who；　on　laying　aside　the

great　classic　coat；　finds　plenty　of　elbow　room　and　tells　all。　　On　the

organs　of　society　of　vital　importance；　on　the　practices　and

regulations　that　provoke　revolutions；　on　feudal　rights　and　seigniorial

justice；　on　the　mode　of　recruiting　and　governing　monastic　bodies；　on

the　revenue　measures　of　the　provinces；　of　corporations　and　of　trade…

unions；　on　the　tithes　and　the　corvées；＇37＇　literature　provides　me　with

scarcely　any　information。　　Drawing…rooms　and　men　of　letters　are

apparently　its　sole　material。　　The　rest　is　null　and　void。　　Outside　the

good　society　that　is　able　to　converse　France　appears　perfectly　empty。

…　On　the　approach　of　the　Revolution　the　elimination　increases。　　Look

through　the　harangues　of　the　clubs　and　of　the　tribune；　through

reports；　legislative　bills　and　pamphlets；　and　through　the　mass　of

writings　prompted　by　passing　and　exciting　events；　in　none　of　them　do

we　see　any　sign　of　the　human　creature　as　we　see　him　in　the　fields　and

in　the　street；　he　is　always　regarded　as　a　simple　robot；　a　well　known

mechanism。　　Among　writers　he　was　a　moment　ago　a　dispenser　of

commonplaces；　among　politicians　he　is　now　a　pliable　voter　；　touch　him

in　the　proper　place　and　he　responds　in　the　desired　manner。　　Facts　are

never　apparent；　only　abstractions；　long　arrays　of　sentences　on　nature；

Reason；　and　the　people；　on　tyrants　and　liberty；　like　inflated

balloons；　uselessly　conflicting　with　each　other　in　space。　　Were　we　not

aware　that　all　this　would　terminate　in　terrible　practical　effects　then

we　could　regard　it　as　competition　in　logic；　as　school　exercises；

academic　parades；　or　ideological　compositions。　　It　is；　in　fact；

Ideology；　the　last　product　of　the　century；　which　will　stamp　the

classic　spirit　with　its　final　formula　and　last　word。



III。　　THE　MATHEMATICAL　METHOD。



The　philosophic　method　in　conformity　with　the　Classic　Sprit。　　…

Ideology。　　…　Abuse　of　the　mathematical　process。　　…　Condillac；　Rousseau；

Mably；　Condorcet；　Volney；　Sieyès；　Cabanis；　and　de　Tracy。　　…　Excesses　of

simplification　and　boldness　of　organization。



　The　natural　process　of　the　classic　spirit　is　to　pursue　in　every

research；　with　the　utmost　confidence；　without　either　reserve　or

precaution；　the　mathematical　method：　to　derive；　limit　and　isolate　a

few　of　the　simplest　generalized　notions　and　then；　setting　experience

aside；　comparing　them；　combining　them；　and；　from　the　artificial

compound　thus　obtained；　by　pure　reasoning；　deduce　all　the　consequences

they　involve。　　It　is　so　deeply　implanted　as　to　be　equally　encountered

in　both　centuries；　as　well　with　Descartes；　Malebranche＇38＇　and　the

partisans　of　innate　ideas　as　with　the　partisans　of　sensation；　of

physical　needs　and　of　primary　instinct；　Condillac；　Rousseau；

Helvétius；　and　later；　Condorcet；　Volney；　Sieyès；　Cabanis　and　Destutt

de　Tracy。　　In　vain　do　the　latter　assert　that　they　are　the　followers　of

Bacon　and　reject　（the　theory　of）　innate　ideas；　with　another　starting

point　than　the　Cartesians　they　pursue　the　same　path；　and；　as　with　the

Cartesians；　after　borrowing　a　little；　they　leave　experience　behind

them。　　In　this　vast　moral　and　social　world；　they　only　remove　the

superficial　bark　from　the　human　tree　with　its　innumerable　roots　and

branches；　they　are　unable　to　penetrate　to　or　grasp　at　anything　beyond

it；　their　hands　cannot　contain　more。　　They　have　no　suspicion　of

anything　outside　of　it；　the　classic　spirit；　with　limited

comprehension；　is　not　far…reaching。　　To　them　the　bark　is　the　entire

tree；　and；　the　operation　once　completed；　they　retire；　bearing　along

with　them　the　dry；　dead　epidermis；　never　returning　to　the　trunk

itself。　　Through　intellectual　incapacity　and　literary　pride　they　omit

the　characteristic　detail；　the　animating　fact；　the　specific

circumstance；　the　significant；　convincing　and　complete　example。

Scarcely　one　of　these　is　found　in　the　〃Logique〃　and　in　the　〃Traité　des

Sensations〃　by　Condillac；　in　the　〃Idéologie〃　by　Destutt　de　Tracy；　or

in　the　〃Rapports　du　Physique　et　du　Morale〃　by　Cabanis。＇39＇　Never；　with

them；　are　we　on　the　solid　and　visible　ground　of　personal　observation

and　narration；　but　always　in　the　air；　in　the　empty　space　of　pure

generalities。　　Condillac　declares　that　the　arithmetical　method　is

adapted　to　psychology　and　that　the　elements　of　our　ideas　can　be

defined　by　a　process　analogous　〃to　the　rule　of　three。〃　Sieyès　holds

history　in　profound　contempt；　and　believes　that　he　had　〃perfected　the

science　of　politics〃＇40＇　at　one　stroke；　through　an　effort　of　the

brain；　in　the　style　of　Descartes；　who　thus　discovers　analytic

geometry。　　Destutt　de　Tracy；　in　undertaking　to　comment　on　Montesquieu；

finds　that　the　great　historian　has　too　servilely　confined　himself　to

history；　and　attempts　to　do　the　work　over　again　by　organizing　society

as　it　should　be；　instead　of　studying　society　as　it　is。　　…　Never　were

such　systematic　and　superficial　institutions　built　up　with　such　a

moderate　extract　of　human　nature。＇41＇　Condillac；　employing　sensation；

animates　a　statue；　and　then；　by　a　process　of　pure　reasoning；　following

up　its　effects；　as　he　supposes；　on　smell；　taste；　hearing；　sight　and

touch；　fashions　a　complete　human　soul。　　Rousseau；　by　means　of　a

contract；　founds　political　association；　and；　with　this　given　idea；

pulls　down　the　constitution；　government　and　laws　of　every　balanced

social　system。　　In　a　book　which　serves　as　the　philosophical　testament

of　the　century；＇42＇　Condorcet　declares　that　this　method　is　the　〃final

step　of　philosophy；　that　which　places　a　sort　of　eternal　barrier

between　humanity　and　its　ancient　infantile　errors。〃　　　〃By　applying　it

to　morals；　politics　and　political　economy　the　moral　sciences　have

progressed　nearly　as　much　as　the　natural　sciences。　　With　its　help　we

have　been　able　to　discover　the　rights　of　man。〃　As　in　mathematics；　they

have　been　deduced　from　one　primordial　statement　only；　which　statement；

similar　to　a　first　principle　in　mathematics；　becomes　a　fact　of　daily

experience；　seen　by　all　and　therefore　self…evident。　　…　This　school　of

thought　is　to　endure　throughout　the　Revolution；　the　Empire　and　even

into　the　Restoration；＇43＇　together　with　the　tragedy　of　which　it　is　the

sister；　with　the　classic　spirit　their　common　parent；　a　primordial；

sovereign　power；　as　dangerous　as　it　is　useful；　as　destructive　as　it　is

creative；　as　capable　of　propagating　error　as　truth；　as　astonishing　in

the　rigidity　of　its　code；　the　narrow…mindedness　of　its　yoke　and　in　the

uniformity　of　its　works　as　in　the　duration　of　its　reign　and　the

universality　of　its　ascendancy。＇44＇



___________________________________________________________________



Notes：



＇1＇　Voltaire；　〃Dict。　　Phil。；〃　see　the　articles　on　Language。　　〃Of　all

the　languages　in　Europe　the　French　is　most　generally　used　because　it

is　the　best　adapted　to　conversation。　　Its　character　is　derived　from

that　of　the　people　who　speak　it。　　For　more　than　a　hundred　and　fifty

years　past；　the　French　have　been　the　most　familiar　with　（good）　society

and　the　first　to　avoid　all　embarrassment　。　　。　　。　　It　is　a　better　currency

than　any　other；　even　if　it　should　lack　weight。〃



＇2＇　HIST：　honnête　homme　means　gentleman。　　（S