PREFACE
Thisbookismeanttobeacompanionto\"Heretics,\"andtoputthepositivesideinadditiontothenegative。Manycriticscomplainedofthebookcalled\"Heretics\"becauseitmerelycriticisedcurrentphilosophieswithoutofferinganyalternativephilosophy。
Thisbookisanattempttoanswerthechallenge。Itisunavoidablyaffirmativeandthereforeunavoidablyautobiographical。ThewriterhasbeendrivenbackuponsomewhatthesamedifficultyasthatwhichbesetNewmaninwritinghisApologia;hehasbeenforcedtobeegotisticalonlyinordertobesincere。Whileeverythingelsemaybedifferentthemotiveinbothcasesisthesame。Itisthepurposeofthewritertoattemptanexplanation,notofwhethertheChristianFaithcanbebelieved,butofhowhepersonallyhascometobelieveit。
Thebookisthereforearrangeduponthepositiveprincipleofariddleanditsanswer。Itdealsfirstwithallthewriter’sownsolitaryandsincerespeculationsandthenwithallthestartlingstyleinwhichtheywereallsuddenlysatisfiedbytheChristianTheology。
Thewriterregardsitasamountingtoaconvincingcreed。Butifitisnotthatitisatleastarepeatedandsurprisingcoincidence。
GilbertK。Chesterton。
CONTENTS
I。IntroductioninDefenceofEverythingElseII。TheManiacIII。TheSuicideofThoughtIV。TheEthicsofElflandV。TheFlagoftheWorldVI。TheParadoxesofChristianityVII。TheEternalRevolutionVIII。TheRomanceofOrthodoxyIX。AuthorityandtheAdventurerORTHODOXY
IINTRODUCTIONINDEFENCEOFEVERYTHINGELSE
THEonlypossibleexcuseforthisbookisthatitisananswertoachallenge。Evenabadshotisdignifiedwhenheacceptsaduel。
WhensometimeagoIpublishedaseriesofhastybutsincerepapers,underthenameof\"Heretics,\"severalcriticsforwhoseintellectIhaveawarmrespect(ImaymentionspeciallyMr。G。S。Street)
saidthatitwasallverywellformetotelleverybodytoaffirmhiscosmictheory,butthatIhadcarefullyavoidedsupportingmypreceptswithexample。\"Iwillbegintoworryaboutmyphilosophy,\"
saidMr。Street,\"whenMr。Chestertonhasgivenushis。\"
Itwasperhapsanincautioussuggestiontomaketoapersononlytooreadytowritebooksuponthefeeblestprovocation。
Butafterall,thoughMr。Streethasinspiredandcreatedthisbook,heneednotreadit。Ifhedoesreadit,hewillfindthatinitspagesIhaveattemptedinavagueandpersonalway,inasetofmentalpicturesratherthaninaseriesofdeductions,tostatethephilosophyinwhichIhavecometobelieve。Iwillnotcallitmyphilosophy;forIdidnotmakeit。Godandhumanitymadeit;
anditmademe。
IhaveoftenhadafancyforwritingaromanceaboutanEnglishyachtsmanwhoslightlymiscalculatedhiscourseanddiscoveredEnglandundertheimpressionthatitwasanewislandintheSouthSeas。
Ialwaysfind,however,thatIameithertoobusyortoolazytowritethisfinework,soImayaswellgiveitawayforthepurposesofphilosophicalillustration。Therewillprobablybeageneralimpressionthatthemanwholanded(armedtotheteethandtalkingbysigns)toplanttheBritishflagonthatbarbarictemplewhichturnedouttobethePavilionatBrighton,feltratherafool。
Iamnothereconcernedtodenythathelookedafool。Butifyouimaginethathefeltafool,oratanyratethatthesenseoffollywashissoleorhisdominantemotion,thenyouhavenotstudiedwithsufficientdelicacytherichromanticnatureoftheheroofthistale。Hismistakewasreallyamostenviablemistake;
andheknewit,ifhewasthemanItakehimfor。Whatcouldbemoredelightfulthantohaveinthesamefewminutesallthefascinatingterrorsofgoingabroadcombinedwithallthehumanesecurityofcominghomeagain?WhatcouldbebetterthantohaveallthefunofdiscoveringSouthAfricawithoutthedisgustingnecessityoflandingthere?Whatcouldbemoregloriousthantobraceone’sselfuptodiscoverNewSouthWalesandthenrealize,withagushofhappytears,thatitwasreallyoldSouthWales。
Thisatleastseemstomethemainproblemforphilosophers,andisinamannerthemainproblemofthisbook。Howcanwecontrivetobeatonceastonishedattheworldandyetathomeinit?
Howcanthisqueercosmictown,withitsmany-leggedcitizens,withitsmonstrousandancientlamps,howcanthisworldgiveusatoncethefascinationofastrangetownandthecomfortandhonourofbeingourowntown?
Toshowthatafaithoraphilosophyistruefromeverystandpointwouldbetoobiganundertakingevenforamuchbiggerbookthanthis;itisnecessarytofollowonepathofargument;
andthisisthepaththatIhereproposetofollow。Iwishtosetforthmyfaithasparticularlyansweringthisdoublespiritualneed,theneedforthatmixtureofthefamiliarandtheunfamiliarwhichChristendomhasrightlynamedromance。Fortheveryword\"romance\"hasinitthemysteryandancientmeaningofRome。
Anyonesettingouttodisputeanythingoughtalwaystobeginbysayingwhathedoesnotdispute。Beyondstatingwhatheproposestoproveheshouldalwaysstatewhathedoesnotproposetoprove。
ThethingIdonotproposetoprove,thethingIproposetotakeascommongroundbetweenmyselfandanyaveragereader,isthisdesirabilityofanactiveandimaginativelife,picturesqueandfullofapoeticalcuriosity,alifesuchaswesternmanatanyratealwaysseemstohavedesired。Ifamansaysthatextinctionisbetterthanexistenceorblankexistencebetterthanvarietyandadventure,thenheisnotoneoftheordinarypeopletowhomIamtalking。
IfamanprefersnothingIcangivehimnothing。ButnearlyallpeopleIhaveevermetinthiswesternsocietyinwhichIlivewouldagreetothegeneralpropositionthatweneedthislifeofpracticalromance;thecombinationofsomethingthatisstrangewithsomethingthatissecure。Weneedsotoviewtheworldastocombineanideaofwonderandanideaofwelcome。Weneedtobehappyinthiswonderlandwithoutoncebeingmerelycomfortable。
ItisTHISachievementofmycreedthatIshallchieflypursueinthesepages。
ButIhaveapeculiarreasonformentioningthemaninayacht,whodiscoveredEngland。ForIamthatmaninayacht。
IdiscoveredEngland。Idonotseehowthisbookcanavoidbeingegotistical;andIdonotquitesee(totellthetruth)
howitcanavoidbeingdull。Dulnesswill,however,freemefromthechargewhichImostlament;thechargeofbeingflippant。
MerelightsophistryisthethingthatIhappentodespisemostofallthings,anditisperhapsawholesomefactthatthisisthethingofwhichIamgenerallyaccused。Iknownothingsocontemptibleasamereparadox;amereingeniousdefenceoftheindefensible。
Ifitweretrue(ashasbeensaid)thatMr。BernardShawliveduponparadox,thenheoughttobeamerecommonmillionaire;
foramanofhismentalactivitycouldinventasophistryeverysixminutes。Itisaseasyaslying;becauseitislying。
Thetruthis,ofcourse,thatMr。Shawiscruellyhamperedbythefactthathecannottellanylieunlesshethinksitisthetruth。
Ifindmyselfunderthesameintolerablebondage。IneverinmylifesaidanythingmerelybecauseIthoughtitfunny;thoughofcourse,Ihavehadordinaryhumanvainglory,andmayhavethoughtitfunnybecauseIhadsaidit。Itisonethingtodescribeaninterviewwithagorgonoragriffin,acreaturewhodoesnotexist。
Itisanotherthingtodiscoverthattherhinocerosdoesexistandthentakepleasureinthefactthathelooksasifhedidn’t。
Onesearchesfortruth,butitmaybethatonepursuesinstinctivelythemoreextraordinarytruths。AndIofferthisbookwiththeheartiestsentimentstoallthejollypeoplewhohatewhatIwrite,andregardit(veryjustly,forallIknow),asapieceofpoorclowningorasingletiresomejoke。
Forifthisbookisajokeitisajokeagainstme。
Iamthemanwhowiththeutmostdaringdiscoveredwhathadbeendiscoveredbefore。Ifthereisanelementoffarceinwhatfollows,thefarceisatmyownexpense;forthisbookexplainshowIfanciedI
wasthefirsttosetfootinBrightonandthenfoundIwasthelast。
Itrecountsmyelephantineadventuresinpursuitoftheobvious。
NoonecanthinkmycasemoreludicrousthanIthinkitmyself;
noreadercanaccusemehereoftryingtomakeafoolofhim:
Iamthefoolofthisstory,andnorebelshallhurlmefrommythrone。Ifreelyconfessalltheidioticambitionsoftheendofthenineteenthcentury。Idid,likeallothersolemnlittleboys,trytobeinadvanceoftheage。LikethemItriedtobesometenminutesinadvanceofthetruth。AndIfoundthatIwaseighteenhundredyearsbehindit。Ididstrainmyvoicewithapainfullyjuvenileexaggerationinutteringmytruths。AndIwaspunishedinthefittestandfunniestway,forIhavekeptmytruths:
butIhavediscovered,notthattheywerenottruths,butsimplythattheywerenotmine。WhenIfanciedthatIstoodaloneIwasreallyintheridiculouspositionofbeingbackedupbyallChristendom。
Itmaybe,Heavenforgiveme,thatIdidtrytobeoriginal;
butIonlysucceededininventingallbymyselfaninferiorcopyoftheexistingtraditionsofcivilizedreligion。ThemanfromtheyachtthoughthewasthefirsttofindEngland;IthoughtIwasthefirsttofindEurope。Ididtrytofoundaheresyofmyown;
andwhenIhadputthelasttouchestoit,Idiscoveredthatitwasorthodoxy。
Itmaybethatsomebodywillbeentertainedbytheaccountofthishappyfiasco。ItmightamuseafriendoranenemytoreadhowIgraduallylearntfromthetruthofsomestraylegendorfromthefalsehoodofsomedominantphilosophy,thingsthatI
mighthavelearntfrommycatechism——ifIhadeverlearntit。
TheremayormaynotbesomeentertainmentinreadinghowI
foundatlastinananarchistcluboraBabyloniantemplewhatI
mighthavefoundinthenearestparishchurch。Ifanyoneisentertainedbylearninghowtheflowersofthefieldorthephrasesinanomnibus,theaccidentsofpoliticsorthepainsofyouthcametogetherinacertainordertoproduceacertainconvictionofChristianorthodoxy,hemaypossiblyreadthisbook。
Butthereisineverythingareasonabledivisionoflabour。
Ihavewrittenthebook,andnothingonearthwouldinducemetoreadit。
Iaddonepurelypedanticnotewhichcomes,asanotenaturallyshould,atthebeginningofthebook。TheseessaysareconcernedonlytodiscusstheactualfactthatthecentralChristiantheology(sufficientlysummarizedintheApostles’Creed)isthebestrootofenergyandsoundethics。Theyarenotintendedtodiscusstheveryfascinatingbutquitedifferentquestionofwhatisthepresentseatofauthorityfortheproclamationofthatcreed。Whentheword\"orthodoxy\"isusedhereitmeanstheApostles’Creed,asunderstoodbyeverybodycallinghimselfChristianuntilaveryshorttimeagoandthegeneralhistoricconductofthosewhoheldsuchacreed。IhavebeenforcedbymerespacetoconfinemyselftowhatIhavegotfromthiscreed;
IdonottouchthemattermuchdisputedamongmodernChristians,ofwhereweourselvesgotit。Thisisnotanecclesiasticaltreatisebutasortofslovenlyautobiography。Butifanyonewantsmyopinionsabouttheactualnatureoftheauthority,Mr。G。S。Streethasonlytothrowmeanotherchallenge,andIwillwritehimanotherbook。
IITHEMANIAC
Thoroughlyworldlypeopleneverunderstandeventheworld;
theyrelyaltogetheronafewcynicalmaximswhicharenottrue。
OnceIrememberwalkingwithaprosperouspublisher,whomadearemarkwhichIhadoftenheardbefore;itis,indeed,almostamottoofthemodernworld。YetIhadhearditoncetoooften,andIsawsuddenlythattherewasnothinginit。Thepublishersaidofsomebody,\"Thatmanwillgeton;hebelievesinhimself。\"
AndIrememberthatasIliftedmyheadtolisten,myeyecaughtanomnibusonwhichwaswritten\"Hanwell。\"Isaidtohim,\"ShallItellyouwherethemenarewhobelievemostinthemselves?
ForIcantellyou。IknowofmenwhobelieveinthemselvesmorecolossallythanNapoleonorCaesar。Iknowwhereflamesthefixedstarofcertaintyandsuccess。IcanguideyoutothethronesoftheSuper-men。Themenwhoreallybelieveinthemselvesareallinlunaticasylums。\"Hesaidmildlythattherewereagoodmanymenafterallwhobelievedinthemselvesandwhowerenotinlunaticasylums。
\"Yes,thereare,\"Iretorted,\"andyouofallmenoughttoknowthem。
Thatdrunkenpoetfromwhomyouwouldnottakeadrearytragedy,hebelievedinhimself。Thatelderlyministerwithanepicfromwhomyouwerehidinginabackroom,hebelievedinhimself。
Ifyouconsultedyourbusinessexperienceinsteadofyouruglyindividualisticphilosophy,youwouldknowthatbelievinginhimselfisoneofthecommonestsignsofarotter。Actorswhocan’tactbelieveinthemselves;anddebtorswhowon’tpay。Itwouldbemuchtruertosaythatamanwillcertainlyfail,becausehebelievesinhimself。Completeself-confidenceisnotmerelyasin;
completeself-confidenceisaweakness。Believingutterlyinone’sselfisahystericalandsuperstitiousbelieflikebelievinginJoannaSouthcote:themanwhohasithas`Hanwell’writtenonhisfaceasplainasitiswrittenonthatomnibus。\"Andtoallthismyfriendthepublishermadethisverydeepandeffectivereply,\"Well,ifamanisnottobelieveinhimself,inwhatishetobelieve?\"
AfteralongpauseIreplied,\"Iwillgohomeandwriteabookinanswertothatquestion。\"ThisisthebookthatIhavewritteninanswertoit。
ButIthinkthisbookmaywellstartwhereourargumentstarted——
intheneighbourhoodofthemad-house。Modernmastersofsciencearemuchimpressedwiththeneedofbeginningallinquirywithafact。
Theancientmastersofreligionwerequiteequallyimpressedwiththatnecessity。Theybeganwiththefactofsin——afactaspracticalaspotatoes。Whetherornomancouldbewashedinmiraculouswaters,therewasnodoubtatanyratethathewantedwashing。
ButcertainreligiousleadersinLondon,notmerematerialists,havebeguninourdaynottodenythehighlydisputablewater,buttodenytheindisputabledirt。Certainnewtheologiansdisputeoriginalsin,whichistheonlypartofChristiantheologywhichcanreallybeproved。SomefollowersoftheReverendR。J。Campbell,intheiralmosttoofastidiousspirituality,admitdivinesinlessness,whichtheycannotseeevenintheirdreams。Buttheyessentiallydenyhumansin,whichtheycanseeinthestreet。Thestrongestsaintsandthestrongestscepticsaliketookpositiveevilasthestarting-pointoftheirargument。Ifitbetrue(asitcertainlyis)
thatamancanfeelexquisitehappinessinskinningacat,thenthereligiousphilosophercanonlydrawoneoftwodeductions。
HemusteitherdenytheexistenceofGod,asallatheistsdo;orhemustdenythepresentunionbetweenGodandman,asallChristiansdo。
Thenewtheologiansseemtothinkitahighlyrationalisticsolutiontodenythecat。
Inthisremarkablesituationitisplainlynotnowpossible(withanyhopeofauniversalappeal)tostart,asourfathersdid,withthefactofsin。Thisveryfactwhichwastothem(andistome)
asplainasapikestaff,istheveryfactthathasbeenspeciallydilutedordenied。Butthoughmodernsdenytheexistenceofsin,Idonotthinkthattheyhaveyetdeniedtheexistenceofalunaticasylum。Weallagreestillthatthereisacollapseoftheintellectasunmistakableasafallinghouse。Mendenyhell,butnot,asyet,Hanwell。Forthepurposeofourprimaryargumenttheonemayverywellstandwheretheotherstood。Imeanthatasallthoughtsandtheorieswereoncejudgedbywhethertheytendedtomakeamanlosehissoul,soforourpresentpurposeallmodernthoughtsandtheoriesmaybejudgedbywhethertheytendtomakeamanlosehiswits。
Itistruethatsomespeaklightlyandlooselyofinsanityasinitselfattractive。Butamoment’sthoughtwillshowthatifdiseaseisbeautiful,itisgenerallysomeoneelse’sdisease。
Ablindmanmaybepicturesque;butitrequirestwoeyestoseethepicture。Andsimilarlyeventhewildestpoetryofinsanitycanonlybeenjoyedbythesane。Totheinsanemanhisinsanityisquiteprosaic,becauseitisquitetrue。Amanwhothinkshimselfachickenistohimselfasordinaryasachicken。Amanwhothinksheisabitofglassistohimselfasdullasabitofglass。
Itisthehomogeneityofhismindwhichmakeshimdull,andwhichmakeshimmad。Itisonlybecauseweseetheironyofhisideathatwethinkhimevenamusing;itisonlybecausehedoesnotseetheironyofhisideathatheisputinHanwellatall。Inshort,odditiesonlystrikeordinarypeople。Odditiesdonotstrikeoddpeople。Thisiswhyordinarypeoplehaveamuchmoreexcitingtime;
whileoddpeoplearealwayscomplainingofthedulnessoflife。
Thisisalsowhythenewnovelsdiesoquickly,andwhytheoldfairytalesendureforever。Theoldfairytalemakestheheroanormalhumanboy;itishisadventuresthatarestartling;
theystartlehimbecauseheisnormal。Butinthemodernpsychologicalnoveltheheroisabnormal;thecentreisnotcentral。
Hencethefiercestadventuresfailtoaffecthimadequately,andthebookismonotonous。Youcanmakeastoryoutofaheroamongdragons;butnotoutofadragonamongdragons。Thefairytalediscusseswhatasanemanwilldoinamadworld。Thesoberrealisticnovelofto-daydiscusseswhatanessentiallunaticwilldoinadullworld。
Letusbegin,then,withthemad-house;fromthisevilandfantasticinnletussetforthonourintellectualjourney。Now,ifwearetoglanceatthephilosophyofsanity,thefirstthingtodointhematteristoblotoutonebigandcommonmistake。Thereisanotionadrifteverywherethatimagination,especiallymysticalimagination,isdangeroustoman’smentalbalance。Poetsarecommonlyspokenofaspsychologicallyunreliable;andgenerallythereisavagueassociationbetweenwreathinglaurelsinyourhairandstickingstrawsinit。
Factsandhistoryutterlycontradictthisview。Mostoftheverygreatpoetshavebeennotonlysane,butextremelybusiness-like;
andifShakespeareeverreallyheldhorses,itwasbecausehewasmuchthesafestmantoholdthem。Imaginationdoesnotbreedinsanity。
Exactlywhatdoesbreedinsanityisreason。Poetsdonotgomad;
butchess-playersdo。Mathematiciansgomad,andcashiers;
butcreativeartistsveryseldom。Iamnot,aswillbeseen,inanysenseattackinglogic:Ionlysaythatthisdangerdoeslieinlogic,notinimagination。Artisticpaternityisaswholesomeasphysicalpaternity。Moreover,itisworthyofremarkthatwhenapoetreallywasmorbiditwascommonlybecausehehadsomeweakspotofrationalityonhisbrain。Poe,forinstance,reallywasmorbid;notbecausehewaspoetical,butbecausehewasspeciallyanalytical。Evenchesswastoopoeticalforhim;
hedislikedchessbecauseitwasfullofknightsandcastles,likeapoem。Heavowedlypreferredtheblackdiscsofdraughts,becausetheyweremorelikethemereblackdotsonadiagram。
Perhapsthestrongestcaseofallisthis:thatonlyonegreatEnglishpoetwentmad,Cowper。Andhewasdefinitelydrivenmadbylogic,bytheuglyandalienlogicofpredestination。Poetrywasnotthedisease,butthemedicine;poetrypartlykepthiminhealth。
HecouldsometimesforgettheredandthirstyhelltowhichhishideousnecessitarianismdraggedhimamongthewidewatersandthewhiteflatliliesoftheOuse。HewasdamnedbyJohnCalvin;
hewasalmostsavedbyJohnGilpin。Everywhereweseethatmendonotgomadbydreaming。Criticsaremuchmadderthanpoets。
Homeriscompleteandcalmenough;itishiscriticswhotearhimintoextravaganttatters。Shakespeareisquitehimself;itisonlysomeofhiscriticswhohavediscoveredthathewassomebodyelse。
AndthoughSt。JohntheEvangelistsawmanystrangemonstersinhisvision,hesawnocreaturesowildasoneofhisowncommentators。
Thegeneralfactissimple。Poetryissanebecauseitfloatseasilyinaninfinitesea;reasonseekstocrosstheinfinitesea,andsomakeitfinite。Theresultismentalexhaustion,likethephysicalexhaustionofMr。Holbein。Toaccepteverythingisanexercise,tounderstandeverythingastrain。Thepoetonlydesiresexaltationandexpansion,aworldtostretchhimselfin。
Thepoetonlyaskstogethisheadintotheheavens。Itisthelogicianwhoseekstogettheheavensintohishead。Anditishisheadthatsplits。
Itisasmallmatter,butnotirrelevant,thatthisstrikingmistakeiscommonlysupportedbyastrikingmisquotation。WehaveallheardpeoplecitethecelebratedlineofDrydenas\"Greatgeniusistomadnessnearallied。\"ButDrydendidnotsaythatgreatgeniuswastomadnessnearallied。Drydenwasagreatgeniushimself,andknewbetter。Itwouldhavebeenhardtofindamanmoreromanticthanhe,ormoresensible。WhatDrydensaidwasthis,\"Greatwitsareofttomadnessnearallied\";andthatistrue。Itisthepurepromptitudeoftheintellectthatisinperilofabreakdown。
AlsopeoplemightrememberofwhatsortofmanDrydenwastalking。
HewasnottalkingofanyunworldlyvisionarylikeVaughanorGeorgeHerbert。Hewastalkingofacynicalmanoftheworld,asceptic,adiplomatist,agreatpracticalpolitician。Suchmenareindeedtomadnessnearallied。Theirincessantcalculationoftheirownbrainsandotherpeople’sbrainsisadangeroustrade。
Itisalwaysperiloustothemindtoreckonupthemind。Aflippantpersonhasaskedwhywesay,\"Asmadasahatter。\"Amoreflippantpersonmightanswerthatahatterismadbecausehehastomeasurethehumanhead。
Andifgreatreasonersareoftenmaniacal,itisequallytruethatmaniacsarecommonlygreatreasoners。WhenIwasengagedinacontroversywiththeCLARIONonthematteroffreewill,thatablewriterMr。R。B。Sutherssaidthatfreewillwaslunacy,becauseitmeantcauselessactions,andtheactionsofalunaticwouldbecauseless。Idonotdwellhereuponthedisastrouslapseindeterministlogic。Obviouslyifanyactions,evenalunatic’s,canbecauseless,determinismisdonefor。Ifthechainofcausationcanbebrokenforamadman,itcanbebrokenforaman。
Butmypurposeistopointoutsomethingmorepractical。
Itwasnatural,perhaps,thatamodernMarxianSocialistshouldnotknowanythingaboutfreewill。ButitwascertainlyremarkablethatamodernMarxianSocialistshouldnotknowanythingaboutlunatics。
Mr。Suthersevidentlydidnotknowanythingaboutlunatics。
Thelastthingthatcanbesaidofalunaticisthathisactionsarecauseless。Ifanyhumanactsmaylooselybecalledcauseless,theyaretheminoractsofahealthyman;whistlingashewalks;
slashingthegrasswithastick;kickinghisheelsorrubbinghishands。Itisthehappymanwhodoestheuselessthings;
thesickmanisnotstrongenoughtobeidle。Itisexactlysuchcarelessandcauselessactionsthatthemadmancouldneverunderstand;
forthemadman(likethedeterminist)generallyseestoomuchcauseineverything。Themadmanwouldreadaconspiratorialsignificanceintothoseemptyactivities。Hewouldthinkthattheloppingofthegrasswasanattackonprivateproperty。Hewouldthinkthatthekickingoftheheelswasasignaltoanaccomplice。
Ifthemadmancouldforaninstantbecomecareless,hewouldbecomesane。Everyonewhohashadthemisfortunetotalkwithpeopleintheheartorontheedgeofmentaldisorder,knowsthattheirmostsinisterqualityisahorribleclarityofdetail;aconnectingofonethingwithanotherinamapmoreelaboratethanamaze。
Ifyouarguewithamadman,itisextremelyprobablethatyouwillgettheworstofit;forinmanywayshismindmovesallthequickerfornotbeingdelayedbythethingsthatgowithgoodjudgment。
Heisnothamperedbyasenseofhumourorbycharity,orbythedumbcertaintiesofexperience。Heisthemorelogicalforlosingcertainsaneaffections。Indeed,thecommonphraseforinsanityisinthisrespectamisleadingone。Themadmanisnotthemanwhohaslosthisreason。Themadmanisthemanwhohaslosteverythingexcepthisreason。
Themadman’sexplanationofathingisalwayscomplete,andofteninapurelyrationalsensesatisfactory。Or,tospeakmorestrictly,theinsaneexplanation,ifnotconclusive,isatleastunanswerable;
thismaybeobservedspeciallyinthetwoorthreecommonestkindsofmadness。Ifamansays(forinstance)thatmenhaveaconspiracyagainsthim,youcannotdisputeitexceptbysayingthatallthemendenythattheyareconspirators;whichisexactlywhatconspiratorswoulddo。Hisexplanationcoversthefactsasmuchasyours。
OrifamansaysthatheistherightfulKingofEngland,itisnocompleteanswertosaythattheexistingauthoritiescallhimmad;
forifhewereKingofEnglandthatmightbethewisestthingfortheexistingauthoritiestodo。OrifamansaysthatheisJesusChrist,itisnoanswertotellhimthattheworlddenieshisdivinity;
fortheworlddeniedChrist’s。
Neverthelessheiswrong。Butifweattempttotracehiserrorinexactterms,weshallnotfinditquitesoeasyaswehadsupposed。
Perhapsthenearestwecangettoexpressingitistosaythis:
thathismindmovesinaperfectbutnarrowcircle。Asmallcircleisquiteasinfiniteasalargecircle;but,thoughitisquiteasinfinite,itisnotsolarge。Inthesamewaytheinsaneexplanationisquiteascompleteasthesaneone,butitisnotsolarge。
Abulletisquiteasroundastheworld,butitisnottheworld。
Thereissuchathingasanarrowuniversality;thereissuchathingasasmallandcrampedeternity;youmayseeitinmanymodernreligions。Now,speakingquiteexternallyandempirically,wemaysaythatthestrongestandmostunmistakableMARKofmadnessisthiscombinationbetweenalogicalcompletenessandaspiritualcontraction。Thelunatic’stheoryexplainsalargenumberofthings,butitdoesnotexplaintheminalargeway。ImeanthatifyouorIweredealingwithamindthatwasgrowingmorbid,weshouldbechieflyconcernednotsomuchtogiveitargumentsastogiveitair,toconvinceitthattherewassomethingcleanerandcooleroutsidethesuffocationofasingleargument。Suppose,forinstance,itwerethefirstcasethatItookastypical;supposeitwerethecaseofamanwhoaccusedeverybodyofconspiringagainsthim。
Ifwecouldexpressourdeepestfeelingsofprotestandappealagainstthisobsession,Isupposeweshouldsaysomethinglikethis:
\"Oh,Iadmitthatyouhaveyourcaseandhaveitbyheart,andthatmanythingsdofitintootherthingsasyousay。Iadmitthatyourexplanationexplainsagreatdeal;butwhatagreatdealitleavesout!Aretherenootherstoriesintheworldexceptyours;
andareallmenbusywithyourbusiness?Supposewegrantthedetails;
perhapswhenthemaninthestreetdidnotseemtoseeyouitwasonlyhiscunning;perhapswhenthepolicemanaskedyouyournameitwasonlybecauseheknewitalready。Buthowmuchhappieryouwouldbeifyouonlyknewthatthesepeoplecarednothingaboutyou!
Howmuchlargeryourlifewouldbeifyourselfcouldbecomesmallerinit;ifyoucouldreallylookatothermenwithcommoncuriosityandpleasure;ifyoucouldseethemwalkingastheyareintheirsunnyselfishnessandtheirvirileindifference!Youwouldbegintobeinterestedinthem,becausetheywerenotinterestedinyou。
Youwouldbreakoutofthistinyandtawdrytheatreinwhichyourownlittleplotisalwaysbeingplayed,andyouwouldfindyourselfunderafreersky,inastreetfullofsplendidstrangers。\"
Orsupposeitwerethesecondcaseofmadness,thatofamanwhoclaimsthecrown,yourimpulsewouldbetoanswer,\"Allright!
PerhapsyouknowthatyouaretheKingofEngland;butwhydoyoucare?
Makeonemagnificenteffortandyouwillbeahumanbeingandlookdownonallthekingsoftheearth。\"Oritmightbethethirdcase,ofthemadmanwhocalledhimselfChrist。Ifwesaidwhatwefelt,weshouldsay,\"SoyouaretheCreatorandRedeemeroftheworld:
butwhatasmallworlditmustbe!Whatalittleheavenyoumustinhabit,withangelsnobiggerthanbutterflies!HowsaditmustbetobeGod;
andaninadequateGod!Istherereallynolifefullerandnolovemoremarvellousthanyours;andisitreallyinyoursmallandpainfulpitythatallfleshmustputitsfaith?Howmuchhappieryouwouldbe,howmuchmoreofyoutherewouldbe,ifthehammerofahigherGodcouldsmashyoursmallcosmos,scatteringthestarslikespangles,andleaveyouintheopen,freelikeothermentolookupaswellasdown!\"
Anditmustberememberedthatthemostpurelypracticalsciencedoestakethisviewofmentalevil;itdoesnotseektoarguewithitlikeaheresybutsimplytosnapitlikeaspell。Neithermodernsciencenorancientreligionbelievesincompletefreethought。
Theologyrebukescertainthoughtsbycallingthemblasphemous。
Sciencerebukescertainthoughtsbycallingthemmorbid。Forexample,somereligioussocietiesdiscouragedmenmoreorlessfromthinkingaboutsex。Thenewscientificsocietydefinitelydiscouragesmenfromthinkingaboutdeath;itisafact,butitisconsideredamorbidfact。
Andindealingwiththosewhosemorbidityhasatouchofmania,modernsciencecaresfarlessforpurelogicthanadancingDervish。
Inthesecasesitisnotenoughthattheunhappymanshoulddesiretruth;
hemustdesirehealth。Nothingcansavehimbutablindhungerfornormality,likethatofabeast。Amancannotthinkhimselfoutofmentalevil;foritisactuallytheorganofthoughtthathasbecomediseased,ungovernable,and,asitwere,independent。Hecanonlybesavedbywillorfaith。Themomenthismerereasonmoves,itmovesintheoldcircularrut;hewillgoroundandroundhislogicalcircle,justasamaninathird-classcarriageontheInnerCirclewillgoroundandroundtheInnerCircleunlessheperformsthevoluntary,vigorous,andmysticalactofgettingoutatGowerStreet。
Decisionisthewholebusinesshere;adoormustbeshutforever。
Everyremedyisadesperateremedy。Everycureisamiraculouscure。
Curingamadmanisnotarguingwithaphilosopher;itiscastingoutadevil。Andhoweverquietlydoctorsandpsychologistsmaygotoworkinthematter,theirattitudeisprofoundlyintolerant——
asintolerantasBloodyMary。Theirattitudeisreallythis:
thatthemanmuststopthinking,ifheistogoonliving。
Theircounselisoneofintellectualamputation。IfthyHEAD
offendthee,cutitoff;foritisbetter,notmerelytoentertheKingdomofHeavenasachild,buttoenteritasanimbecile,ratherthanwithyourwholeintellecttobecastintohell——
orintoHanwell。
Suchisthemadmanofexperience;heiscommonlyareasoner,frequentlyasuccessfulreasoner。Doubtlesshecouldbevanquishedinmerereason,andthecaseagainsthimputlogically。Butitcanbeputmuchmorepreciselyinmoregeneralandevenaestheticterms。
Heisinthecleanandwell-litprisonofoneidea:heissharpenedtoonepainfulpoint。Heiswithouthealthyhesitationandhealthycomplexity。Now,asIexplainintheintroduction,Ihavedeterminedintheseearlychapterstogivenotsomuchadiagramofadoctrineassomepicturesofapointofview。AndI
havedescribedatlengthmyvisionofthemaniacforthisreason:
thatjustasIamaffectedbythemaniac,soIamaffectedbymostmodernthinkers。ThatunmistakablemoodornotethatIhearfromHanwell,Ihearalsofromhalfthechairsofscienceandseatsoflearningto-day;andmostofthemaddoctorsaremaddoctorsinmoresensesthanone。Theyallhaveexactlythatcombinationwehavenoted:thecombinationofanexpansiveandexhaustivereasonwithacontractedcommonsense。Theyareuniversalonlyinthesensethattheytakeonethinexplanationandcarryitveryfar。
Butapatterncanstretchforeverandstillbeasmallpattern。
Theyseeachess-boardwhiteonblack,andiftheuniverseispavedwithit,itisstillwhiteonblack。Likethelunatic,theycannotaltertheirstandpoint;theycannotmakeamentaleffortandsuddenlyseeitblackonwhite。
Takefirstthemoreobviouscaseofmaterialism。Asanexplanationoftheworld,materialismhasasortofinsanesimplicity。Ithasjustthequalityofthemadman’sargument;wehaveatoncethesenseofitcoveringeverythingandthesenseofitleavingeverythingout。
Contemplatesomeableandsincerematerialist,as,forinstance,Mr。McCabe,andyouwillhaveexactlythisuniquesensation。
Heunderstandseverything,andeverythingdoesnotseemworthunderstanding。Hiscosmosmaybecompleteineveryrivetandcog-wheel,butstillhiscosmosissmallerthanourworld。
Somehowhisscheme,likethelucidschemeofthemadman,seemsunconsciousofthealienenergiesandthelargeindifferenceoftheearth;
itisnotthinkingoftherealthingsoftheearth,offightingpeoplesorproudmothers,orfirstloveorfearuponthesea。
Theearthissoverylarge,andthecosmosissoverysmall。
Thecosmosisaboutthesmallestholethatamancanhidehisheadin。
ItmustbeunderstoodthatIamnotnowdiscussingtherelationofthesecreedstotruth;but,forthepresent,solelytheirrelationtohealth。LaterintheargumentIhopetoattackthequestionofobjectiveverity;hereIspeakonlyofaphenomenonofpsychology。
IdonotforthepresentattempttoprovetoHaeckelthatmaterialismisuntrue,anymorethanIattemptedtoprovetothemanwhothoughthewasChristthathewaslabouringunderanerror。Imerelyremarkhereonthefactthatbothcaseshavethesamekindofcompletenessandthesamekindofincompleteness。Youcanexplainaman’sdetentionatHanwellbyanindifferentpublicbysayingthatitisthecrucifixionofagodofwhomtheworldisnotworthy。
Theexplanationdoesexplain。Similarlyyoumayexplaintheorderintheuniversebysayingthatallthings,eventhesoulsofmen,areleavesinevitablyunfoldingonanutterlyunconscioustree——
theblinddestinyofmatter。Theexplanationdoesexplain,thoughnot,ofcourse,socompletelyasthemadman’s。Butthepointhereisthatthenormalhumanmindnotonlyobjectstoboth,butfeelstoboththesameobjection。ItsapproximatestatementisthatifthemaninHanwellistherealGod,heisnotmuchofagod。And,similarly,ifthecosmosofthematerialististherealcosmos,itisnotmuchofacosmos。Thethinghasshrunk。
Thedeityislessdivinethanmanymen;and(accordingtoHaeckel)
thewholeoflifeissomethingmuchmoregrey,narrow,andtrivialthanmanyseparateaspectsofit。Thepartsseemgreaterthanthewhole。
Forwemustrememberthatthematerialistphilosophy(whethertrueornot)iscertainlymuchmorelimitingthananyreligion。
Inonesense,ofcourse,allintelligentideasarenarrow。
Theycannotbebroaderthanthemselves。AChristianisonlyrestrictedinthesamesensethatanatheistisrestricted。
HecannotthinkChristianityfalseandcontinuetobeaChristian;
andtheatheistcannotthinkatheismfalseandcontinuetobeanatheist。Butasithappens,thereisaveryspecialsenseinwhichmaterialismhasmorerestrictionsthanspiritualism。
Mr。McCabethinksmeaslavebecauseIamnotallowedtobelieveindeterminism。IthinkMr。McCabeaslavebecauseheisnotallowedtobelieveinfairies。Butifweexaminethetwovetoesweshallseethathisisreallymuchmoreofapurevetothanmine。
TheChristianisquitefreetobelievethatthereisaconsiderableamountofsettledorderandinevitabledevelopmentintheuniverse。
Butthematerialistisnotallowedtoadmitintohisspotlessmachinetheslightestspeckofspiritualismormiracle。PoorMr。McCabeisnotallowedtoretaineventhetiniestimp,thoughitmightbehidinginapimpernel。TheChristianadmitsthattheuniverseismanifoldandevenmiscellaneous,justasasanemanknowsthatheiscomplex。Thesanemanknowsthathehasatouchofthebeast,atouchofthedevil,atouchofthesaint,atouchofthecitizen。
Nay,thereallysanemanknowsthathehasatouchofthemadman。
Butthematerialist’sworldisquitesimpleandsolid,justasthemadmanisquitesureheissane。Thematerialistissurethathistoryhasbeensimplyandsolelyachainofcausation,justastheinterestingpersonbeforementionedisquitesurethatheissimplyandsolelyachicken。Materialistsandmadmenneverhavedoubts。
Spiritualdoctrinesdonotactuallylimitthemindasdomaterialisticdenials。EvenifIbelieveinimmortalityIneednotthinkaboutit。ButifIdisbelieveinimmortalityImustnotthinkaboutit。
InthefirstcasetheroadisopenandIcangoasfarasIlike;
inthesecondtheroadisshut。Butthecaseisevenstronger,andtheparallelwithmadnessisyetmorestrange。Foritwasourcaseagainsttheexhaustiveandlogicaltheoryofthelunaticthat,rightorwrong,itgraduallydestroyedhishumanity。Nowitisthechargeagainstthemaindeductionsofthematerialistthat,rightorwrong,theygraduallydestroyhishumanity;Idonotmeanonlykindness,Imeanhope,courage,poetry,initiative,allthatishuman。
Forinstance,whenmaterialismleadsmentocompletefatalism(asitgenerallydoes),itisquiteidletopretendthatitisinanysensealiberatingforce。Itisabsurdtosaythatyouareespeciallyadvancingfreedomwhenyouonlyusefreethoughttodestroyfreewill。
Thedeterministscometobind,nottoloose。Theymaywellcalltheirlawthe\"chain\"ofcausation。Itistheworstchainthateverfetteredahumanbeing。Youmayusethelanguageofliberty,ifyoulike,aboutmaterialisticteaching,butitisobviousthatthisisjustasinapplicabletoitasawholeasthesamelanguagewhenappliedtoamanlockedupinamad-house。Youmaysay,ifyoulike,thatthemanisfreetothinkhimselfapoachedegg。Butitissurelyamoremassiveandimportantfactthatifheisapoachedeggheisnotfreetoeat,drink,sleep,walk,orsmokeacigarette。
Similarlyyoumaysay,ifyoulike,thatthebolddeterministspeculatorisfreetodisbelieveintherealityofthewill。
Butitisamuchmoremassiveandimportantfactthatheisnotfreetoraise,tocurse,tothank,tojustify,tourge,topunish,toresisttemptations,toincitemobs,tomakeNewYearresolutions,topardonsinners,torebuketyrants,oreventosay\"thankyou\"
forthemustard。
InpassingfromthissubjectImaynotethatthereisaqueerfallacytotheeffectthatmaterialisticfatalismisinsomewayfavourabletomercy,totheabolitionofcruelpunishmentsorpunishmentsofanykind。Thisisstartlinglythereverseofthetruth。
Itisquitetenablethatthedoctrineofnecessitymakesnodifferenceatall;thatitleavesthefloggerfloggingandthekindfriendexhortingasbefore。Butobviouslyifitstopseitherofthemitstopsthekindexhortation。Thatthesinsareinevitabledoesnotpreventpunishment;ifitpreventsanythingitpreventspersuasion。
Determinismisquiteaslikelytoleadtocrueltyasitiscertaintoleadtocowardice。Determinismisnotinconsistentwiththecrueltreatmentofcriminals。Whatitis(perhaps)inconsistentwithisthegeneroustreatmentofcriminals;withanyappealtotheirbetterfeelingsorencouragementintheirmoralstruggle。
Thedeterministdoesnotbelieveinappealingtothewill,buthedoesbelieveinchangingtheenvironment。Hemustnotsaytothesinner,\"Goandsinnomore,\"becausethesinnercannothelpit。Buthecanputhiminboilingoil;forboilingoilisanenvironment。
Consideredasafigure,therefore,thematerialisthasthefantasticoutlineofthefigureofthemadman。Bothtakeupapositionatonceunanswerableandintolerable。
Ofcourseitisnotonlyofthematerialistthatallthisistrue。
Thesamewouldapplytotheotherextremeofspeculativelogic。
Thereisascepticfarmoreterriblethanhewhobelievesthateverythingbeganinmatter。Itispossibletomeetthescepticwhobelievesthateverythingbeganinhimself。Hedoubtsnottheexistenceofangelsordevils,buttheexistenceofmenandcows。
Forhimhisownfriendsareamythologymadeupbyhimself。
Hecreatedhisownfatherandhisownmother。Thishorriblefancyhasinitsomethingdecidedlyattractivetothesomewhatmysticalegoismofourday。Thatpublisherwhothoughtthatmenwouldgetoniftheybelievedinthemselves,thoseseekersaftertheSupermanwhoarealwayslookingforhiminthelooking-glass,thosewriterswhotalkaboutimpressingtheirpersonalitiesinsteadofcreatinglifefortheworld,allthesepeoplehavereallyonlyaninchbetweenthemandthisawfulemptiness。Thenwhenthiskindlyworldallroundthemanhasbeenblackenedoutlikealie;
whenfriendsfadeintoghosts,andthefoundationsoftheworldfail;
thenwhentheman,believinginnothingandinnoman,isaloneinhisownnightmare,thenthegreatindividualisticmottoshallbewrittenoverhiminavengingirony。Thestarswillbeonlydotsintheblacknessofhisownbrain;hismother’sfacewillbeonlyasketchfromhisowninsanepencilonthewallsofhiscell。
Butoverhiscellshallbewritten,withdreadfultruth,\"Hebelievesinhimself。\"
Allthatconcernsushere,however,istonotethatthispanegoisticextremeofthoughtexhibitsthesameparadoxastheotherextremeofmaterialism。Itisequallycompleteintheoryandequallycripplinginpractice。Forthesakeofsimplicity,itiseasiertostatethenotionbysayingthatamancanbelievethatheisalwaysinadream。Now,obviouslytherecanbenopositiveproofgiventohimthatheisnotinadream,forthesimplereasonthatnoproofcanbeofferedthatmightnotbeofferedinadream。
ButifthemanbegantoburndownLondonandsaythathishousekeeperwouldsooncallhimtobreakfast,weshouldtakehimandputhimwithotherlogiciansinaplacewhichhasoftenbeenalludedtointhecourseofthischapter。Themanwhocannotbelievehissenses,andthemanwhocannotbelieveanythingelse,arebothinsane,buttheirinsanityisprovednotbyanyerrorintheirargument,butbythemanifestmistakeoftheirwholelives。Theyhavebothlockedthemselvesupintwoboxes,paintedinsidewiththesunandstars;theyarebothunabletogetout,theoneintothehealthandhappinessofheaven,theotherevenintothehealthandhappinessoftheearth。Theirpositionisquitereasonable;
nay,inasenseitisinfinitelyreasonable,justasathreepennybitisinfinitelycircular。Butthereissuchathingasameaninfinity,abaseandslavisheternity。Itisamusingtonoticethatmanyofthemoderns,whetherscepticsormystics,havetakenastheirsignacertaineasternsymbol,whichistheverysymbolofthisultimatenullity。Whentheywishtorepresenteternity,theyrepresentitbyaserpentwithhistailinhismouth。Thereisastartlingsarcasmintheimageofthatveryunsatisfactorymeal。
Theeternityofthematerialfatalists,theeternityoftheeasternpessimists,theeternityofthesupercilioustheosophistsandhigherscientistsofto-dayis,indeed,verywellpresentedbyaserpenteatinghistail,adegradedanimalwhodestroysevenhimself。
Thischapterispurelypracticalandisconcernedwithwhatactuallyisthechiefmarkandelementofinsanity;wemaysayinsummarythatitisreasonusedwithoutroot,reasoninthevoid。
Themanwhobeginstothinkwithouttheproperfirstprinciplesgoesmad;
hebeginstothinkatthewrongend。Andfortherestofthesepageswehavetotryanddiscoverwhatistherightend。Butwemayaskinconclusion,ifthisbewhatdrivesmenmad,whatisitthatkeepsthemsane?BytheendofthisbookIhopetogiveadefinite,somewillthinkafartoodefinite,answer。Butforthemomentitispossibleinthesamesolelypracticalmannertogiveageneralanswertouchingwhatinactualhumanhistorykeepsmensane。
Mysticismkeepsmensane。Aslongasyouhavemysteryyouhavehealth;
whenyoudestroymysteryyoucreatemorbidity。Theordinarymanhasalwaysbeensanebecausetheordinarymanhasalwaysbeenamystic。
Hehaspermittedthetwilight。Hehasalwayshadonefootinearthandtheotherinfairyland。Hehasalwayslefthimselffreetodoubthisgods;but(unliketheagnosticofto-day)freealsotobelieveinthem。Hehasalwayscaredmorefortruththanforconsistency。