CHAPTERIX
　　INhumanaffairseverythinghappensbychance——thatis，indefianceofhumanideas，andwithoutanydirectionofanintelligence。Amanbathesinapool，acrocodileseizesandlacerateshisflesh。Ifanyonemaintainsthatanintelligencedirectedthatcruelty，Icanonlyreplythathismindisunderanillusion。Amaniscaughtbyarevolvingshaftandtorntopieces，limbfromlimb。Thereisnodirectingintelligenceinhumanaffairs，noprotection，andnoassistance。Thosewhoactuprightlyarenotrewarded，buttheyandtheirchildrenoftenwanderintheutmostindigence。Thosewhodoevilarenotalwayspunished，butfrequentlyflourishandhavehappychildren。Rewardsandpunishmentsarepurelyhumaninstitutions，andifgovernmentberelaxedtheyentirelydisappear。Nointelligencewhateverinterferesinhumanaffairs。Thereisamostsenselessbeliefnowprevalentthateffort，andwork，andcleverness，perseveranceandindustry，areinvariablysuccessful。Werethisthecase，everymanwouldenjoyacompetence，atleast，andbefreefromthecaresofmoney。Thisisanillusionalmostequaltothesuperstitionofadirectingintelligence，whicheveryfactandeveryconsiderationdisproves。
　　HowcanIadequatelyexpressmycontemptfortheassertionthatallthingsoccurforthebest，forawiseandbeneficentend，andareorderedbyahumaneintelligence!Itisthemostutterfalsehoodandacrimeagainstthehumanrace。EveninmybrieftimeIhavebeencontemporarywitheventsofthemosthorriblecharacter；aswhenthemothersintheBalkanscasttheirownchildrenfromthetraintoparishinthesnow；aswhenthePrincessAlicefoundered，andsixhundredhumanbeingsweresmotheredinfoulwater；aswhenthehecatomboftwothousandmaidenswereburnedinthechurchatSantiago；aswhenthemiserablecreaturestoreatthewallsoftheViennatheatre。Consideronlythefateswhichovertakethelittlechildren。Humansufferingissogreat，soendless，soawfulthatIcanhardlywriteofit。I
　　couldnotgointohospitalsandfaceit，assomedo，lestmymindshouldbetemporarilyovercome。Thewholeandtheworsttheworstpessimistcansayisfarbeneaththeleastparticleofthetruth，soimmenseisthemiseryofman。Itisthedutyofallrationalbeingstoacknowledgethetruth。Thereisnottheleasttraceofdirectingintelligenceinhumanaffairs。Thisisafoundationofhope，because，ifthepresentconditionofthingswereorderedbyasuperiorpower，therewouldbenopossibilityofimprovingitforthebetterinthespiteofthatpower。Acknowledgingthatnosuchdirectionexists，allthingsbecomeatonceplastictoourwill。
　　ThecreditgivenbytheunthinkingtothestatementthatallaffairsaredirectedhasbeenthebaneoftheworldsincethedaysoftheEgyptianpapyriandtheoriginofsuperstition。Solongasmenfirmlybelievethateverythingisfixedforthem，solongisprogressimpossible。Ifyouargueyourselfintothebeliefthatyoucannotwalktoaplace，youcannotwalkthere。
　　Butifyoustartyoucanwalkthereeasily。Anyonewhowillconsidertheaffairsoftheworldatlarge，andoftheindividual，willseethattheydonotproceedinthemannertheywoulddoforourownhappinessifamanofhumanebreadthofviewwereplacedattheirheadwithunlimitedpower，suchasiscreditedtotheintelligencewhichdoesnotexist。Amanofintellectandhumanitycouldcauseeverythingtohappeninaninfinitelysuperiormanner。CouldonelikethedivineJulius——humane，generous，broadestofview，deepthinking——wieldsuchpower，certainlyeveryhumanbeingwouldenjoyhappiness。
　　Butthatwhichisthoughtlesslycreditedtoanon—existentintelligenceshouldreallybeclaimedandexercisedbythehumanrace。Itisourselveswhoshoulddirectouraffairs，protectingourselvesfrompain，assistingourselves，succouringandrenderingourliveshappy。Wemustdoforourselveswhatsuperstitionhashithertosupposedanintelligencetodoforus。
　　Nothingwhatsoeverisdoneforus。Wearebornnaked，andnotevenprotectedbyashaggycovering。Nothingisdoneforus。
　　Thefirstandstrongestcommand（usingthewordtoconveytheideaonly）thatnature，theuniverse，ourownbodiesgive，istodoeverythingforourselves。Theseadoesnotmakeboatsforus，northeearthofherownwillbuildushospitals。Theinjuredliebleeding，andnoinvisiblepowerliftsthemup。Themaidenswerescorchedinthemidstoftheirdevotions，andtheirremainsmakeamoundhundredsofyardslong。
　　Theinfantsperishedinthesnow，andtheravenstoretheirlimbs。Thoseinthetheatrecrushedeachothertothedeath——agony。Forhowlong，forhowmanythousandyears，musttheearthandthesea，andthefireandtheair，utterthesethingsandforcethemuponusbeforetheyareadmittedintheirfullsignificance？
　　Thesethingsspeakwithavoiceofthunder。Fromeveryhumanbeingwhosebodyhasbeenrackedbypain；fromeveryhumanbeingwhohassufferedfromaccidentordisease；fromeveryhumanbeingdrowned，burned，orslainbynegligence，theregoesupacontinuallyincreasingcrylouderthanthethunder。
　　Anawe—inspiringcrydreadtolistento，whichnoonedareslistento，againstwhichearsarestoppedbythewaxofsuperstitionandthewaxofcriminalselfishness：——Thesemiseriesareyourdoing，becauseyouhavemindandthough，andcouldhavepreventedthem。Youcanpreventtheminthefuture。Youdonoteventry。
　　Itisperfectlycertainthatalldiseaseswithoutexceptionarepreventable，or，ifnotso，thattheycanbesoweakenedastodonoharm。Itisperfectlycertainthatallaccidentsarepreventable；thereisnotonethatdoesnotarisefromfollyornegligence。Allaccidentsarecrimes。Itisperfectlycertainthatallhumanbeingsarecapableofphysicalhappiness。Itisabsolutelyincontrovertiblethattheidealshapeofthehumanbeingisattainabletotheexclusionofdeformities。Itisincontrovertiblethatthereisnonecessityforanymantodiebutofoldaoe，andthatifdeathcannotbepreventedlifecanbeprolongedfarbeyondthefarthestnowknown。Itisincontrovertiblethatatthepresenttimenooneeverdiesofoldage。Notonesinglepersoneverdiesofoldage，orofnaturalcauses，forthereisnosuchthingasanaturalcauseofdeath。Theydieofdiseaseorweaknesswhichistheresultofdiseaseeitherinthemselvesorintheirancestors。Nosuchthingasoldageisknowntous。Wedonotevenknowwhatoldagewouldbelike，becausenooneeverlivestoit。
　　Ourbodiesarefullofunsuspectedflaws，handeddownitmaybeforthousandsofyears，anditisofthesethatwedie，andnotofnaturaldecay。Tilltheseareeliminated，orasnearlyeliminatedaspossible，weshallneverevenknowwhattrueoldageislike，norwhatthetruenaturallimitofhumanlifeis。
　　Theutmostlimitnowappearstobeaboutonehundredandfiveyears，butaseachpersonwhohasgotsofarhasdiedofweaknessesinheritedthroughthousandsofyears，itisimpossibletosaytowhatnumberofyearshewouldhavereachedinanaturalstate。Itseemsmorethanpossiblethattrueoldage——theslowandnaturaldecayofthebodyapartfrominheritedflaw——wouldbefreefromverymany，ifnotall，ofthepettymiserieswhichnowrenderextremeageadoubtfulblessing。Ifthelimbsgrewweakertheywouldnottotter；iftheteethdroppeditwouldnotbetillthelast；iftheeyeswerelessstrongtheywouldnotbequitedim；norwouldthemindloseitsmemory。
　　Butnowweseeeyesbecomedimandartificalaidneededincomparativeyouth，andteethdropoutinmerechildhood。
　　Manymenandwomenloseteethbeforetheyaretwenty。Thissimplefactisevidenceenoughofinheritedweaknessorflaw。Howcouldapersonwhohadlostteethbeforetwentybeeversaidtodieofoldage，thoughhediedatahundredandten？Deathisnotasupernaturalevent；itisaneventofthemostmaterialisticcharacter，andmaycertainlybepostponed，bytheunitedeffortsofthehumanrace，toaperiodfarmoredistantfromthedateofbirththanhasbeenthecaseduringthehistoricperiod。Thequestionhasoftenbeendebatedinmymindwhetherdeathisorisnotwhollypreventable；
　　whether，iftheentirehumanracewereunitedintheireffortstoeliminatecausesofdecay，deathmightnotalsobealtogethereliminated。
　　Ifweconsiderourselvesbytheanalogyofanimals，trees，andotherlivingcreatures，thereplyisthat，howeverpostponed，inlongprocessoftimethetissuesmustwither。Supposeanidealman，freefrominheritedflaw，thenthoughhisagemightbeprolongedtoseveralcenturies，intheendthenaturalbodymustwearout。Thatistruesofar。Butitsohappensthattheanalogyisnotjust，andthereforetheconclusionsitpointstoarenottenable。
　　Manisaltogetherdifferentfromeveryotheranimal，everyotherlivingcreatureknown。Heisdifferentinbody。Inhispurelynaturalstate——inhistruenaturalstate——heisimmeasurablystronger。Noanimalapproachestothephysicalperfectionofwhichamaniscapable。Hecanwearythestrongesthorse，hecanoutruntheswifteststag，hecanbearextremesofheatandcoldhungerandthirst，whichwouldexterminateeveryknownlivingthing。
　　Merelyinbodilystrengthheissuperiortoall。Thestoriesofantiquity，whichweredeemedfables，maybefableshistorically，butsearchhasshownthattheyarenotintrinsicallyfables。ManoffleshandbloodiscapableofallthatAjax，allthatHerculesdid。Featsinmoderndayshavesurpassedthese，aswhenWebbswamtheChannel；mythologycontainsnothingequaltothat。Thedifferencedoesnotendhere。Animalsthinktoacertainextent，butiftheirconceptionsbeeversoclever，nothavinghandstheycannotexecutethem。
　　Imyselfmaintainthatthemindofmanispracticallyinfinite。
　　Itcanunderstandanythingbroughtbeforeit。Ithasnotthepowerofitsownmotiontobringeverythingbeforeit，butwhenanythingisbroughtitisunderstood。Itislikesittinginaroomwithonewindow；youcannotcompeleverythingtopassthewindow，butwhateverdoespassisseen。Itislikeamagnifyingglass，whichmagnifiesandexplainseverythingbroughtintoitsfocus。Themindofmanisinfinite。Beyondthis，manhasasoul。Idonotusethiswordinthecommonsensewhichcircumstanceshavegiventoit。Iuseitastheonlytermtoexpressthatinnerconsciousnesswhichaspires。Thesebriefreasonsshowthattheanalogyisimperfect，andthattherefore，althoughanidealanimal——ahorse，adog，alion——mustdie，itdoesnotfollowthatanidealmanmust。Hehasabodypossessedofexceptionalrecuperativepowers，which，underproperconditions，continuallyrepairsitself。Hehasamindbywhichhecanselectremedies，andselecthiscourseandcarefullyrestorethewasteoftissue。Hehasasoul，asyet，itseemstome，lyinginabeyance，bytheaidofwhichhemayyetdiscoverthingsnowdeemedsupernatural。
　　ConsideringthesethingsIamobligedbyfactsandincontrovert—ibleargumenttoconcludethatdeathisnotinevitabletotheidealman。Heisshapedforaspeciesofphysicalimmortality。Thebeautyofformoftheidealhumanbeingindicatesimmortality——thecontour，thecurve，theoutlineanswertotheideaoflife。Inthecourseofagesunitedeffortlongcontinuedmayeliminatethosecausesofdecaywhichhavegrownupinagespast，andafterthathasbeendoneadvancefartherandimprovethenaturalstate。Asariverbringsdownsuspendedparticlesofsand，anddepositingthematitsmouthformsadeltaandanewcountry；astheairandtherainandtheheatofthesundesiccatetherocksandslowlyweardownmountainsintosand，sotheunitedactionofthehumanrace，continuedthroughcenturies，maybuilduptheidealmanandwoman。
　　Eachindividuallabouringinhisdaythroughgeologicaltimeinfrontmustproduceaneffect。TheinstanceofSparta，wheresomuchwasdoneinafewcenturies，isalmostproofofit。
　　Thetruthis，wediethroughourancestors；wearemurderedbyourancestors。Theirdeadhandsstretchforthfromthetombanddragusdowntotheirmoulderingbones。Weinourturnarenowatthismomentpreparingdeathforourunbornposterity。Thisdaythosethatdiedonotdieinthesenseofoldage，theyareslain。Nothinghasbeenaccumulatedforourbenefitinagespast。Allthelabourandthetoilofsomanymillionscontinuedthroughsuchvistasoftime，downtothosemillionswhoatthishourarerushingtoandfroinLondon，hasaccumulatednothingforus。Nothingforourgood。Theonlythingsthathavebeenstoreduphavebeenforourevilanddestruction，diseasesandweaknessescrossedandcultivatedandrenderedalmostpartandparcelofourverybones。Nowletusbegintorollbackthetideofdeath，andtosetourfacessteadilytoafutureoflife。Itshouldbethesacredandsworndutyofeveryone，onceatleastduringlifetime，todosomethinginpersontowardsthisend。Itwouldbeadelightandpleasuretometodosomethingeveryday，wereiteversominute。Toreflectthatanotherhumanbeing，ifatadistanceoftenthousandyearsfromtheyear1883，wouldenjoyonehour’smorelife，inthesenseoffulnessoflife，inconsequenceofanythingIhaddoneinmylittlespan，wouldbetomeapeaceofsoul。
　　CHAPTERX
　　UNITEDeffortthroughgeologicaltimeinfrontisbutthebeginningofanidea。Iamconvincedthatmuchmorecanbedone，andthatthelengthoftimemaybealmostimmeasurablyshortened。Thegeneralprinciplesthatarenowinoperationareofthesimplestandmostelementarycharacter，yettheyhavealreadymadeconsiderabledifference。Iamnotcontentwiththese。Theremustbemuchmore——theremustbethingswhichareatpresentunknownbywhoseaidadvancemaybemade。Researchproceedsuponthesameoldlinesandrunsintheancientgrooves。Further，itisrestrictedbytheultra—practicalviewswhicharealonedeemedreasonable。Butthereshouldbenolimitplacedonthemind。Thepurelyidealisasworthyofpursuitasthepractical，andthemindisnottobepinnedtodogmasofscienceanymorethantodogmasofsuperstition。Mostinjuriousofallisthecontinuouscirclingonthesamepath，anditisfromthisthatIwishtofreemymind。
　　Thepursuitoftheory——theorganonofpurethought——hasledincidentallytogreatdiscoveries，andformyselfIamconvinceditisofthehighestvalue。Theprocessofexperimenthasproducedmuch，andhasappliedwhatwaspreviouslyfound。
　　Empiricismisworthyofcarefulre—workingout，foritisafactthatmostthingsaremoreorlessempirical，especiallyinmedicine。Denialmaybegiventothisstatement，neverthelessitistrue，andIhavehadpracticalexemplificationofitinmyownexperience。Observationisperhapsmorepowerfulanorganonthaneitherexperimentorempiricism。Iftheeyeisalwayswatching，andthemindonthealert，ultimatelychancesuppliesthesolution。
　　ThedifficultiesIhaveencounteredhavegenerallybeensolvedbychanceinthisway。WhenItookaninterestinarchaeologicalmatters——aninterestlongsinceextinct——I
　　consideredthatapartofanarmyknowntohavemarchedinacertaindirectionduringtheCivilWarmusthavevisitedatowninwhichIwasinterested。ButIexhaustedeverymodeofresearchinvain；therewasnoevidenceofit。Iftheknowledgehadeverexistedithaddroppedagain。Someyearsafterwards，whenmyinteresthadceased，andIhadputsuchinquiriesforeveraside（beinguseless，liketheEgyptianpapyri），IwasreadingintheBritishMuseum。PresentlyIreturnedmybooktotheshelf，andthenslowlywalkedalongthecurvingwalllinedwithvolumes，lookingtoseeifIcouldlightonanythingtoamuseme。Itookoutavolumeforaglance；itopenedofitselfatacertainpage，andtherewastheinformationIhadsolongsought——areprintofanoldpamphletdescribingthevisitofthearmytothetownintheCivilWar。Sochanceansweredthequestioninthecourseoftime。
　　AndIthinkthat，seeinghowgreatapartchanceplaysinhumanaffairs，itisessentialthatstudyshouldbemadeofchance；itseemstomethatanorganonfromexperiment。Thenthereistheinnerconsciousness——thepsyche——thathasneveryetbeenbroughttobearuponlifeanditsquestions。
　　Besideswhichthereisasuper—sensuousreason。OftenIhavearguedwithmyselfthatsuchandsuchacoursewastherightonetofollow，whileintheintervalsofthinkingaboutitanundercurrentofunconsciousimpulsehasdesiredmetodothereverseortoremaininactive。
　　Sometimesithashappenedthatthesupersensuousreasoninghasbeencorrect，andthemostfaultlessargumentwrong。Ipresumethissupersensuousreasoning，preceedingindependentlyinthemind，arisesfrompreceptionstoodelicateforanalysis。FromtheseconsiderationsaloneIamconvincedthat，bytheaidofideasyettobediscovered，thegeologicaltimeinfrontmaybeimmeasurablyshortened。Thesemodesofresearcharenotall。Thepsyche——thesoulinme——tellsmethatthereismuchmore，thatthesearemerelybeginningsofthecrudestkind。
　　Ifullyrecognisethepracticaldifficultyarisingfromtheingrained，hereditary，andunconsciousselfishnesswhichbeganbeforehistory，andhasbeencrossedandcultivatedfortwelvethousandyearssince。Thisrendersmelesssanguineofunitedeffortthroughgeologicaltimeahead，unlesssomeideaca...剩余内容请长按扫描二维码或下载丁香书院APP继续免费看：

前往下载：https://www.kanbaapp.com/share/