lecture20- 第4部分

J。　B。　Van　Helmont：　　A　Ternary　of　Paradoxes；　translated　by　Walter



Charleton；　London；　1650。I　much　abridge　the　original　in　my



citations。







The　author　goes　on　to　prove　by　the　analogy　of　many　other　natural



facts　that　this　sympathetic　action　between　things　at　a　distance



is　the　true　rationale　of　the　case。　　〃If；〃　he　says；　〃the　heart　of



a　horse　slain　by　a　witch；　taken　out　of　the　yet　reeking　carcase；



be　impaled　upon　an　arrow　and　roasted；　immediately　the　whole　witch



becomes　tormented　with　the　insufferable　pains　and　cruelty　of　the



fire；　which　could　by　no　means　happen　unless　there　preceded　a



conjunction　of　the　spirit　of　the　witch　with　the　spirit　of　the



horse。　　In　the　reeking　and　yet　panting　heart；　the　spirit　of　the



witch　is　kept　captive；　and　the　retreat　of　it　prevented　by　the



arrow　transfixed。　　Similarly　hath　not　many　a　murdered　carcase　at



the　coroner's　inquest　suffered　a　fresh　haemorrhage　or　cruentation



at　the　presence　of　the　assassin？the　blood　being；　as　in　a



furious　fit　of　anger；　enraged　and　agitated　by　the　impress　of



revenge　conceived　against　the　murderer；　at　the　instant　of　the



soul's　compulsive　exile　from　the　body。　　So；　if　you　have　dropsy；



gout；　or　jaundice；　by　including　some　of　your　warm　blood　in　the



shell　and　white　of　an　egg；　which；　exposed　to　a　gentle　heat；　and



mixed　with　a　bait　of　flesh；　you　shall　give　to　a　hungry　dog　or



hog；　the　disease　shall　instantly　pass　from　you　into　the　animal；



and　leave　you　entirely。　　And　similarly　again；　if　you　burn　some　of



the　milk　either　of　a　cow　or　of　a　woman；　the　gland　from　which　it



issued　will　dry　up。　　A　gentleman　at　Brussels　had　his　nose　mowed



off　in　a　combat；　but　the　celebrated　surgeon　Tagliacozzus　digged　a



new　nose　for　him　out　of　the　skin　of　the　arm　of　a　porter　at



Bologna。　　About　thirteen　months　after　his　return　to　his　own



country；　the　engrafted　nose　grew　cold；　putrefied；　and　in　a　few



days　dropped　off；　and　it　was　then　discovered　that　the　porter　had



expired；　near　about　the　same　punctilio　of　time。　　There　are　still



at　Brussels　eye…witnesses　of　this　occurrence；〃　says　Van　Helmont；



and　adds；　〃I　pray　what　is　there　in　this　of　superstition　or　of



exalted　imagination？〃







Modern　mind…cure　literaturethe　works　of　Prentice　Mulford；　for



exampleis　full　of　sympathetic　magic。　















How　indeed　could　it　be　otherwise？　　The　extraordinary　value；　for



explanation　and　prevision；　of　those　mathematical　and　mechanical



modes　of　conception　which　science　uses；　was　a　result　that　could



not　possibly　have　been　expected　in　advance。　　Weight；　movement；



velocity；　direction；　position；　what　thin；　pallid；　uninteresting



ideas！　　How　could　the　richer　animistic　aspects　of　Nature；　the



peculiarities　and　oddities　that　make　phenomena　picturesquely



striking　or　expressive；　fail　to　have　been　first　singled　out　and



followed　by　philosophy　as　the　more　promising　avenue　to　the



knowledge　of　Nature's　life？　　Well；　it　is　still　in　these　richer



animistic　and　dramatic　aspects　that　religion　delights　to　dwell。　



It　is　the　terror　and　beauty　of　phenomena；　the　〃promise〃　of　the



dawn　and　of　the　rainbow；　the　〃voice〃　of　the　thunder；　the



〃gentleness〃　of　the　summer　rain；　the　〃sublimity〃　of　the　stars；



and　not　the　physical　laws　which　these　things　follow；　by　which　the



religious　mind　still　continues　to　be　most　impressed；　and　just　as



of　yore；　the　devout　man　tells　you　that　in　the　solitude　of　his



room　or　of　the　fields　he　still　feels　the　divine　presence；　that



inflowings　of　help　come　in　reply　to　his　prayers；　and　that



sacrifices　to　this　unseen　reality　fill　him　with　security　and



peace。







Pure　anachronism！　says　the　survival…theory；anachronism　for



which　deanthropomorphization　of　the　imagination　is　the　remedy



required。　　The　less　we　mix　the　private　with　the　cosmic；　the　more



we　dwell　in　universal　and　impersonal　terms；　the　truer　heirs　of



Science　we　become。







In　spite　of　the　appeal　which　this　impersonality　of　the　scientific



attitude　makes　to　a　certain　magnanimity　of　temper；　I　believe　it



to　be　shallow；　and　I　can　now　state　my　reason　in　comparatively　few



words。　　That　reason　is　that；　so　long　as　we　deal　with　the　cosmic



and　the　general；　we　deal　only　with　the　symbols　of　reality；　but　as



soon　as　we　deal　with　private　and　personal　phenomena　as　such；　we



deal　with　realities　in　the　completest　sense　of　the　term。　　I　think



I　can　easily　make　clear　what　I　mean　by　these　words。







The　world　of　our　experience　consists　at　all　times　of　two　parts；



an　objective　and　a　subjective　part；　of　which　the　former　may　be



incalculably　more　extensive　than　the　latter；　and　yet　the　latter



can　never　be　omitted　or　suppressed。　　The　objective　part　is　the



sum　total　of　whatsoever　at　any　given　time　we　may　be　thinking　of；



the　subjective　part　is　the　inner　〃state〃　in　which　the　thinking



comes　to　pass。　　What　we　think　of　may　be　enormousthe　cosmic



times　and　spaces；　for　example　whereas　the　inner　state　may　be



the　most　fugitive　and　paltry　activity　of　mind。　　Yet　the　cosmic



objects；　so　far　as　the　experience　yields　them；　are　but　ideal



pictures　of　something　whose　existence　we　do　not　inwardly　possess



but　only　point　at　outwardly；　while　the　inner　state　is　our　very



experience　itself；　its　reality　and　that　of　our　experience　are



one。　　A　conscious　field　PLUS　its　object　as　felt　or　thought　of



PLUS　an　attitude　towards　the　object　PLUS　the　sense　of　a　self　to



whom　the　attitude　belongssuch　a　concrete　bit　of　personal



experience　may　be　a　small　bit；　but　it　is　a　solid　bit　as　long　as



it　lasts；　not　hollow；　not　a　mere　abstract　element　of　experience；



such　as　the　〃object〃　is　when　taken　all　alone。　　It　is　a　FULL　fact；



even　though　it　be　an　insignificant　fact；　it　is　of　the　KIND　to



which　all　realities　whatsoever　must　belong；　the　motor　currents　of



the　world　run　through　the　like　of　it；　it　is　on　the　line



connecting　real　events　with　real　events。　　That　unsharable　feeling



which　each　one　of　us　has　of　the　pinch　of　his　individual　destiny



as　he　privately　feels　it　rolling　out　on　fortune's　wheel　may　be



disparaged　for　its　egotism；　may　be　sneered　at　as　unscientific；



but　it　is　the　one　thing　that　fills　up　the　measure　of　our　concrete



actuality；　and　any　would…be　existent　that　should　lack　such　a



feeling；　or　its　analogue；　would　be　a　piece　of　reality　only　half



made　up。＇336＇







＇336＇　Compare　Lotze's　doctrine　that　the　only　meaning　we　can



attach　to　the　notion　of　a　thing　as　it　is　〃in　itself〃　is　by



conceiving　it　as　it　is　FOR　itself；　i。e。；　as　a　piece　of　full



experience　with　a　private　sense　of　〃pinch〃　or　inner　activity　of



some　sort　going　with　it。















If　this　be　true；　it　is　absurd　for　science　to　say　that　the



egotistic　elements　of　experience　should　be　suppressed。　　The　axis



of　reality　runs　solely　through　the　egotistic　placesthey　are



strung　upon　it　like　so　many　beads。　　To　describe　the　world　with



all　the　various　feelings　of　the　individual　pinch　of　destiny；　all



the　various　spiritual　attitudes；　left　out　from　the



descriptionthey　being　as　describable　as　anything　else　would



be　something　like　offering　a　printed　bill　of　fare　as　the



equivalent　for　a　solid　meal。　　Religion　makes　no　such　blunder。　



The　individual's　religion　may　be　egotistic；　and　those　private



realities　which　it　keeps　in　touch　with　may　be　narrow　enough；　but



at　any　rate　it　always　remains　infinitely　less　hollow　and



abstract；　as　far　as　it　goes；　than　a　science　which　prides　itself



on　taking　no　account　of　anything　private　at　all。







A　bill　of　fare　with　one　real　raisin　on　it　instead　of　the　word



〃raisin；〃　with　one　real　egg　instead　of　the　word　〃egg；〃　might　be



an　inadequate　meal；　but　it　would　at　least　be　a　commencement　of



reality。　　The　contention　of　the　survival…theory　that　we　ought　to



stick　to　non…personal　elements　exclusively　seems　like　saying　that



we　ought　to　be　satisfied　forever　with　reading　the　naked　bill　of



fare。　　I　think；　therefore；　that　however　particular　questions



connected　with　our　individual　destinies　may　be　answered；　it　is



only　by　acknowledging　them　as　genuine　questions；　and　living　in



the　sphere　of　thought　which　they　open　up；　that　we　become



profound。　　But　to　live　thus　is　to　be　religious；　so　I



unhesitatingly　repudiate　the　survival…theory　of　religion；　as



being　founded　on　an　egregious　mistake。　　It　does　not　follow；



because　our　ancestors　made　so　many　errors　of　fact　and　mixed　them



with　their　religion；　that　we　should　therefore　leave　off　being



religious　at　all。＇337＇　　By　being　religious　we　establish　ourselves



in　possession　of　ultimate　reality　at　the　only　points　at　which



reality　is　given　us　to　guard。　　Our　responsible　concern　is　with



our　private　destiny；　after　all。







＇337＇　Even　the　errors　of　fact　may　possibly　turn　out　not　to　be　as



wholesale　as　the　scientist　assumes。　　We　saw　in　Lecture　IV　how　the



religious　conception　of　the　universe　seems　to　many　mind…curers



〃verified〃　from　day　to　day　by　their　experience　of　fact。　



〃Experience　of　fact〃　is　a　field　with　so　many　things　in　it　that



the　sectarian　scientist　methodically　declining；　as　he　does；　to



recognize　such　〃facts〃　as　mind…curers　and　others　like　them



experience；　otherwise　than　by　such　rude　heads　of　classification



as　〃bosh；〃　〃rot；〃　〃folly；〃　certainly　leaves　out　a　mass　of　raw



fact　which；　save　for　the　industrious　interest　of　the　religious　in



the　more　personal　aspects　of　reality；　would　never　have　succeeded



in　getting　itself　recorded　at　all。　　We　know　this　to　be　true



already　in　certain　cases；　it　may；　therefore；　be　true　in　oth