on the significance of science and art-第4节

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Men　live。　　They　support　themselves　by　agriculture；　as　is　natural　to
all　men。　　One　man　has　set　up　a　blacksmith's　forge；　and　repaired　his
plough；　his　neighbor　comes　to　him；　and　asks　him　to　mend　his　also；
and　promises　him　in　return　either　work　or　money。　　A　third　comes；　and
a　fourth；　and　in　the　community　formed　by　these　men；　there　arises　the
following　division　of　labor；a　blacksmith　is　created。　　Another　man
has　instructed　his　children　well；　his　neighbor　brings　his　children
to　him；　and　requests　him　to　teach　them　also；　and　a　teacher　is
created。　　But　both　blacksmith　and　teacher　have　been　created；　and
continue　to　be　such；　merely　because　they　have　been　asked；　and　they
remain　such　as　long　as　they　are　requested　to　be　blacksmith　and
teacher。　　If　it　should　come　to　pass　that　many　blacksmiths　and
teachers　should　set　themselves　up；　or　that　their　work　is　not
requited；　they　will　immediately；　as　commonsense　demands　and　as
always　happens　when　there　is　no　occasion　for　disturbing　the　regular
course　of　division　of　labor；they　will　immediately　abandon　their
trade；　and　betake　themselves　once　more　to　agriculture。

Men　who　behave　thus　are　guided　by　their　sense；　their　conscience；　and
hence　we；　the　men　endowed　with　sense　and　conscience；　all　assert　that
such　a　division　of　labor　is　right。　　But　if　it　should　chance　that　the
blacksmiths　were　able　to　compel　other　people　to　work　for　them；　and
should　continue　to　make　horse…shoes　when　they　were　not　wanted；　and
if　the　teachers　should　go　on　teaching　when　there　was　no　one　to
teach；　then　it　is　obvious　to　every　sane　man；　as　a　man；　i。e。；　as　a
being　endowed　with　reason　and　conscience；　that　this　would　not　be
division；　but　appropriation；　of　labor。　　And　yet　precisely　that　sort
of　activity　is　what　is　called　division　of　labor　by　scientific
science。　　People　do　that　which　others　do　not　think　of　requiring；　and
demand　that　they　shall　be　supported　for　so　doing；　and　say　that　this
is　just　because　it　is　division　of　labor。

That　which　constitutes　the　cause　of　the　economical　poverty　of　our
age　is　what　the　English　call　over…production　（which　means　that　a
mass　of　things　are　made　which　are　of　no　use　to　anybody；　and　with
which　nothing　can　be　done）。

It　would　be　odd　to　see　a　shoemaker；　who　should　consider　that　people
were　bound　to　feed　him　because　he　incessantly　made　boots　which　had
been　of　no　use　to　any　one　for　a　long　time；　but　what　shall　we　say　of
those　men　who　make　nothing；who　not　only　produce　nothing　that　is
visible；　but　nothing　that　is　of　use　for　people　at　large；for　whose
wares　there　are　no　customers；　and　who　yet　demand；　with　the　same
boldness；　on　the　ground　of　division　of　labor；　that　they　shall　be
supplied　with　fine　food　and　drink；　and　that　they　shall　be　dressed
well？　　There　may　be；　and　there　are；　sorcerers　for　whose　services　a
demand　makes　itself　felt；　and　for　this　purpose　there　are　brought　to
them　pancakes　and　flasks；　but　it　is　difficult　to　imagine　the
existence　of　sorcerers　whose　spells　are　useless　to　every　one；　and
who　boldly　demand　that　they　shall　be　luxuriously　supported　because
they　exercise　sorcery。　　And　it　is　the　same　in　our　world。　　And　all
this　comes　about　on　the　basis　of　that　false　conception　of　the
division　of　labor；　which　is　defined　not　by　reason　and　conscience；
but　by　observation；　which　men　of　science　avow　with　such　unanimity。

Division　of　labor　has；　in　reality；　always　existed；　and　still　exists；
but　it　is　right　only　when　man　decides　with　his　reason　and　his
conscience　that　it　should　be　so；　and　not　when　he　merely　investigates
it。　　And　reason　and　conscience　decide　the　question　for　all　men　very
simply；　unanimously；　and　in　a　manner　not　to　be　doubted。　　They　always
decide　it　thus：　　that　division　of　labor　is　right　only　when　a　special
branch　of　man's　activity　is　so　needful　to　men；　that　they；　entreating
him　to　serve　them；　voluntarily　propose　to　support　him　in　requital
for　that　which　he　shall　do　for　them。　　But；　when　a　man　can　live　from
infancy　to　the　age　of　thirty　years　on　the　necks　of　others；　promising
to　do；　when　he　shall　have　been　taught；　something　extremely　useful；
for　which　no　one　asks　him；　and　when；　from　the　age　of　thirty　until
his　death；　he　can　live　in　the　same　manner；　still　merely　on　the
promise　to　do　something；　for　which　there　has　been　no　request；　this
will　not　be　division　of　labor　（and；　as　a　matter　of　fact；　there　is　no
such　thing　in　our　society）；　but　it　will　be　what　it　already　is；
merely　the　appropriation；　by　force；　of　the　toil　of　others；　that　same
appropriation　by　force　of　the　toil　of　others　which　the　philosophers
formerly　designated　by　various　names；for　instance；　as
indispensable　forms　of　life；but　which　scientific　science　now　calls
the　organic　division　of　labor。

The　whole　significance　of　scientific　science　lies　in　this　alone。　　It
has　now　become　a　distributer　of　diplomas　for　idleness；　for　it　alone；
in　its　sanctuaries；　selects　and　determines　what　is　parasitical；　and
what　is　organic　activity；　in　the　social　organism。　　Just　as　though
every　man　could　not　find　this　out　for　himself　much　more　accurately
and　more　speedily；　by　taking　counsel　of　his　reason　and　his
conscience。　　It　seems　to　men　of　scientific　science；　that　there　can
be　no　doubt　of　this；　and　that　their　activity　is　also　indubitably
organic；　they；　the　scientific　and　artistic　workers；　are　the　brain
cells；　and　the　most　precious　cells　in　the　whole　organism。

Ever　since　menreasoning　beingshave　existed；　they　have
distinguished　good　from　evil；　and　have　profited　by　the　fact　that　men
have　made　this　distinction　before　them；　they　have　warred　against
evil；　and　have　sought　the　good；　and　have　slowly　but　uninterruptedly
advanced　in　that　path。　　And　divers　delusions　have　always　stood
before　men；　hemming　in　this　path；　and　having　for　their　object　to
demonstrate　to　them；　that　it　was　not　necessary　to　do　this；　and　that
it　was　not　necessary　to　live　as　they　were　living。　　With　fearful
conflict　and　difficulty；　men　have　freed　themselves　from　many
delusions。　　And　behold；　a　new　and　a　still　more　evil　delusion　has
sprung　up　in　the　path　of　mankind；the　scientific　delusion。

This　new　delusion　is　precisely　the　same　in　nature　as　the　old　ones；
its　gist　lies　in　secretly　leading　astray　the　activity　of　our　reason
and　conscience；　and　of　those　who　have　lived　before　us；　by　something
external。　　In　scientific　science；　this　external　thing　is
investigation。

The　cunning　of　this　science　consists　in　this；that；　after　pointing
out　to　men　the　coarsest　false　interpretations　of　the　activity　of　the
reason　and　conscience　of　man；　it　destroys　in　them　faith　in　their　own
reason　and　conscience；　and　assures　them　that　every　thing　which　their
reason　and　conscience　say　to　them；　that　all　that　these　have　said　to
the　loftiest　representatives　of　man　heretofore；　ever　since　the　world
has　existed；that　all　this　is　conventional　and　subjective。　　〃All
this　must　be　abandoned；〃　they　say；　〃it　is　impossible　to　understand
the　truth　by　the　reason；　for　we　may　be　mistaken。　　But　there　exists
another　unerring　and　almost　mechanical　path：　　it　is　necessary　to
investigate　facts。〃

But　facts　must　be　investigated　on　the　foundation　of　scientific
science；　i。e。；　of　the　two　hypotheses　of　positivism　and　evolution；
which　are　not　borne　out　by　any　thing；　and　which　give　themselves　out
as　undoubted　truths。　　And　the　reigning　science　announces；　with
delusive　solemnity；　that　the　solution　of　all　problems　of　life　is
possible　only　through　the　study　of　facts；　of　nature；　and；　in
particular；　of　organisms。　　The　credulous　mass　of　young　people；
overwhelmed　by　the　novelty　of　this　authority；　which　has　not　yet　been
overthrown　or　even　touched　by　criticism；　flings　itself　into　the
study　of　natural　sciences；　into　that　sole　path；　which；　according　to
the　assertion　of　the　reigning　science；　can　lead　to　the　elucidation
of　the　problems　of　life。

But　the　farther　the　disciples　proceed　in　this　study；　the　farther　and
farther　does　not　only　the　possibility；　but　even　the　very　idea；　of
the　solution　of　the　problems　of　life　withdraw　from　them；　and　the
more　and　more　do　they　become　accustomed；　not　so　much　to　investigate；
as　to　believe　in　the　assertions　of　other　investigators　（to　believe
in　cells；　in　protoplasm；　in　the　fourth　condition　of　bodies；　and　so
forth）；　the　more　and　more　does　the　form　veil　the　contents　from　them；
the　more　and　more　do　they　lose　the　consciousness　of　good　and　evil；
and　the　capacity　of　understanding　those　expressions　and　definitions
of　good　and　evil　which　have　been　elaborated　through　the　whole
foregoing　life　of　mankind；　and　the　more　and　more　do　they　appropriate
to　themselves　the　special　scientific　jargon　of　conventional
expressions；　which　possesses　no　universally　human　significance；　and
the　deeper　and　deeper　do　they　plunge　into　the　debris　of　utterly
unilluminated　investigations；　the　more　and　more　do　they　lose　the
power；　not　only　of　independent　thought；　but　even　of　understanding
the　fresh　human　thought　of　others；　which　lies　beyond　the　bounds　of
their　Talmud。　　But　the　principal　thing　is；　that　they　pass　their　best
years　in　getting　disused　to　life；　they　grow　accustomed　to　consider
their　position　as　justifiable；　and　they　convert　themselves
physically　into　utterly　useless　parasites；　and　mentally　they
dislocate　their　brains　and　become　mental　eunuchs。　　And