evolution and ethics and other essays-第25部分

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is　an　altogether　secondary　consideration。

Many　ingenious　persons　now　appear　to　consider　that　the　incompatibility
of　pantheism；　of　materialism；　and　of　any　doubt　about　the　immortality
oxf　the　soul；　with　religion　and　morality；　is　to　be　held　as　an
axiomatic　truth。　I　confess　that　I　have　a　certain　difficulty　in
accepting　this　dogma。　For　the　Stoics　were　notoriously　materialists　and
pantheists　of　the　most　extreme　character；　and　while　no　strict　Stoic
believed　in　the　eternal　duration　of　the　individual　soul；　some　even
denied　its　persistence　after　death。　Yet　it　is　equally　certain　that　of
all　gentile　philosophies；　Stoicism　exhibits　the　highest　ethical
development；　is　animated　by　the　most　religious　spirit；　and　has　exerted
the　profoundest　influence　upon　the　moral　and　religious　development　not
merely　of　the　best　men　among　the　Romans；　but　among　the　moderns　down　to
our　own　day。

Seneca　was　claimed　as　a　Christian　and　placed　among　the　saints　by　the
fathers　of　the　early　Christian　Church；　and　the　genuineness　of　a
correspondence　between　him　and　the　apostle　Paul　has　been　hotly
maintained　in　our　own　time；　by　orthodox　writers。　That　the　letters；　as
we　possess　them；　are　worthless　forgeries　is　obvious；　and　writers　as
wide　apart　as　Baur　and　Lightfoot　agree　that　the　whole　story　is　devoid
of　foundation。

The　dissertation　of　the　late　Bishop　of　Durham　（Epistle　to　the
Philippians）　is　particularly　worthy　of　study；　apart　from　this
question；　on　account　of　＇113＇　evidence　which　it　supplies　of　the
numerous　similarities　of　thought　between　Seneca　and　the　writer　of　the
Pauline　epistles。　When　it　is　remembered　that　the　writer　of　the　Acts
puts　a　quotation　from　Aratus；　or　Cleanthes；　into　the　mouth　of　the
apostle；　and　that　Tarsus　was　a　great　seat　of　philosophical　and
especially　stoical　learning　（Chrysippus　himself　was　a　native　of　the
adjacent　town　of　Soli）；　there　is　no　difficulty　in　understanding　the
origin　of　these　resemblances。　See；　on　this　subject；　Sir　Alexander
Grant's　dissertation　in　his　edition　of　The　Ethics　of　Aristotle　（where
there　is　an　interesting　reference　to　the　stoical　character　of　Bishop
Butler's　ethics）；　the　concluding　pages　of　Dr。　Weygoldt's　instructive
little　work　Die　Philosophie　der　Stoa；　and　Aubertin's　Seneque　et　Saint
Paul。

It　is　surprising　that　a　writer　of　Dr。　Lightfoot's　stamp　should　speak
of　Stoicism　as　a　philosophy　of　〃despair。〃　Surely；　rather；　it　was　a
philosophy　of　men　who；　having　cast　off　all　illusions；　and　the
childishness　of　despair　among　them；　were　minded　to　endure　in　patience
whatever　conditions　the　cosmic　process　might　create；　so　long　as　those
conditions　were　compatible　with　the　progress　towards　virtue；　which
alone；　for　them；　conferred　a　worthy　object　on　existence。　There　is　no
note　of　despair　in　the　stoical　declaration　that　the　perfected　〃wise
man〃　is　the　equal　of　Zeus　in　everything　but　the　duration　of　his
existence。　And；　in　my　judgment；　there　is　as　little　pride　about　it；
often　as　it　serves　for　the　text　of　discourses　on　stoical　arrogance。
Grant　the　stoical　postulate　that　there　is　no　good　except　virtue；　grant
that　＇114＇　the　perfected　wise　man　is　altogether　virtuous；　in
consequence　of　being　guided　in　all　things　by　the　reason；　which　is　an
effluence　of　Zeus；　and　there　seems　no　escape　from　the　stoical
conclusion。

Note　17　（p。　76）。

Our　〃Apathy〃　carries　such　a　different　set　of　connotations　from　its
Greek　original　that　I　have　ventured　on　using　the　latter　as　a　technical
term。

Note　18　（P。　77）。

Many　of　the　stoical　philosophers　recommended　their　disciples　to　take
an　active　share　in　public　affairs；　and　in　the　Roman　world；　for　several
centuries；　the　best　public　men　were　strongly　inclined　to　Stoicism。
Nevertheless；　the　logical　tendency　of　Stoicism　seems　to　me　to　be
fulfilled　only　in　such　men　as　Diogenes　and　Epictetus。

Note　19　（P。　80）。

〃Criticisms　on　the　Origin　of　Species；〃　1864。　Collected　Essays；　vol。　ii。
p。　　91。＇1894。＇

Note　20　（P。　81）。

Of　course；　strictly　speaking；　social　life；　and　the　ethical　process　in
virtue　of　which　it　advances　towards　perfection；　Are　part　and　parcel　of
the　general　process　of　evolution；　just　as　the　gregarious　habit　of　in
＇115＇　numerable　plants　and　animals；　which　has　been　of　immense
advantage　to　them；　is　so。　A　hive　of　bees　is　an　organic　polity；　a
society　in　which　the　part　played　by　each　member　is　determined　by
organic　necessities。　Queens；　workers；　and　drones　are；　so　to　speak；
castes；　divided　from　one　another　by　marked　physical　barriers。　Among
birds　and　mammals；　societies　are　formed；　of　which　the　bond　in　many
cases　seems　to　be　purely　psychological；　that　is　to　say；　it　appears　to
depend　upon　the　liking　of　the　individuals　for　one　another's　company。
The　tendency　of　individuals　to　over　self…assertion　is　kept　down　by
fighting。　　Even　in　these　rudimentary　forms　of　society；　love　and　fear
come　into　play；　and　enforce　a　greater　or　less　renunciation　of
self…will。　To　this　extent　the　general　cosmic　process　begins　to　be
checked　by　a　rudimentary　ethical　process；　which　is；　strictly　speaking；
part　of　the　former；　just　as　the　〃governor〃　in　a　steam…engine　is　part
of　the　mechanism　of　the　engine。

Note　21　（p。　82）。

See　〃Government：　Anarchy　or　Regimentation；〃　Collected　Essays；　vol。　i。
pp。　　413…418。　It　is　this　form　of　political　philosophy　to　which　I
conceive　the　epithet　of　〃reasoned　savagery〃　to　be　strictly
applicable。＇1894。＇

Note　22　（p。　83）。

〃L'homme　n'est　qu'un　roseau；　le　plus　faible　de　la　nature；　mais　c'est
un　roseau　pensant。　Il　ne　faut　＇116＇　pas　que　l'univers　entier　s'arme
pour　l'ecraser。　Une　vapour；　une　goutte　d'eau；　suffit　pour　le　tuer。
Mais　quand　l'univers　l'ecraserait；　l'homme　serait　encore　plus　noble
que　ce　qui　le　tue；　parce　qu'il　sait　qu'il　muert；　et　l'avantage　que
l'univers　a　sur　lui；　l'univers　n'en　sait　rien。〃Pensees　de　Pascal。

Note　23　（p。　85）。

The　use　of　the　word　〃Nature〃　here　may　be　criticised。　Yet　the
manifestation　of　the　natural　tendencies　of　men　is　so　profoundly
modified　by　training　that　it　is　hardly　too　strong。　Consider　the
suppression　of　the　sexual　instinct　between　near　relations。

Note　24　（p。　86）。

A　great　proportion　of　poetry　is　addressed　by　the　young　to　the　young；
only　the　great　masters　of　the　art　are　capable　of　divining；　or　think　it
worth　while　to　enter　into；　the　feelings　of　retrospective　age。　The　two
great　poets　whom　we　have　so　lately　lost；　Tennyson　and　Browning；　have
done　this；　each　in　his　own　inimitable　way；　the　one　in　the　Ulysses；
from　which　I　have　borrowed；　the　other　in　that　wonderful　fragment
〃Childe　Roland　to　the　dark　Tower　came。〃

＇147＇


　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　IV。

　　　　　　　CAPITALTHE　MOTHER　OF　LABOUR

　　　　AN　ECONOMICAL　PROBLEM　DISCUSSED　FROM　A
　　　　　　　　PHYSIOLOGICAL　POINT　OF　VIEW

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　＇1890。＇

THE　first　act　of　a　new…born　child　is　to　draw　a　deep　breath。　In　fact；　it
will　never　draw　a　deeper；　inasmuch　as　the　passages　and　chambers　of　the
lungs；　once　distended　with　air；　do　not　empty　themselves　again；　it　is
only　a　fraction　of　their　contents　which　passes　in　and　out　with　the
flow　and　the　ebb　of　the　respiratory　tide。　Mechanically；　this　act　of
drawing　breath；　or　inspiration；　is　of　the　same　nature　as　that　by　which
the　handles　of　a　bellows　are　separated；　in　order　to　fill　the　bellows
w