heretics-第44节

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the　thing　ceases　to　be　the　unknowable；　it　becomes　the　indispensable。



There　can　be　no　doubt；　I　think；　that　the　idea　does　exist　in　our



time　that　there　is　something　narrow　or　irrelevant　or　even　mean



about　attacking　a　man's　religion；　or　arguing　from　it　in　matters



of　politics　or　ethics。　　There　can　be　quite　as　little　doubt　that　such



an　accusation　of　narrowness　is　itself　almost　grotesquely　narrow。



To　take　an　example　from　comparatively　current　events：　　we　all　know



that　it　was　not　uncommon　for　a　man　to　be　considered　a　scarecrow



of　bigotry　and　obscurantism　because　he　distrusted　the　Japanese；



or　lamented　the　rise　of　the　Japanese；　on　the　ground　that　the　Japanese



were　Pagans。　　Nobody　would　think　that　there　was　anything　antiquated



or　fanatical　about　distrusting　a　people　because　of　some　difference



between　them　and　us　in　practice　or　political　machinery。



Nobody　would　think　it　bigoted　to　say　of　a　people；　〃I　distrust　their



influence　because　they　are　Protectionists。〃　　No　one　would　think　it



narrow　to　say；　〃I　lament　their　rise　because　they　are　Socialists；



or　Manchester　Individualists；　or　strong　believers　in　militarism



and　conscription。〃　　A　difference　of　opinion　about　the　nature



of　Parliaments　matters　very　much；　but　a　difference　of　opinion　about



the　nature　of　sin　does　not　matter　at　all。　　A　difference　of　opinion



about　the　object　of　taxation　matters　very　much；　but　a　difference



of　opinion　about　the　object　of　human　existence　does　not　matter　at　all。



We　have　a　right　to　distrust　a　man　who　is　in　a　different　kind



of　municipality；　but　we　have　no　right　to　mistrust　a　man　who　is　in



a　different　kind　of　cosmos。　　This　sort　of　enlightenment　is　surely



about　the　most　unenlightened　that　it　is　possible　to　imagine。



To　recur　to　the　phrase　which　I　employed　earlier；　this　is　tantamount



to　saying　that　everything　is　important　with　the　exception　of　everything。



Religion　is　exactly　the　thing　which　cannot　be　left　out



because　it　includes　everything。　　The　most　absent…minded　person



cannot　well　pack　his　Gladstone…bag　and　leave　out　the　bag。



We　have　a　general　view　of　existence；　whether　we　like　it　or　not；



it　alters　or；　to　speak　more　accurately；　it　creates　and　involves



everything　we　say　or　do；　whether　we　like　it　or　not。　　If　we　regard



the　Cosmos　as　a　dream；　we　regard　the　Fiscal　Question　as　a　dream。



If　we　regard　the　Cosmos　as　a　joke；　we　regard　St。　Paul's　Cathedral　as



a　joke。　　If　everything　is　bad；　then　we　must　believe　（if　it　be　possible）



that　beer　is　bad；　if　everything　be　good；　we　are　forced　to　the　rather



fantastic　conclusion　that　scientific　philanthropy　is　good。　　Every　man



in　the　street　must　hold　a　metaphysical　system；　and　hold　it　firmly。



The　possibility　is　that　he　may　have　held　it　so　firmly　and　so　long



as　to　have　forgotten　all　about　its　existence。







This　latter　situation　is　certainly　possible；　in　fact；　it　is　the　situation



of　the　whole　modern　world。　　The　modern　world　is　filled　with　men　who　hold



dogmas　so　strongly　that　they　do　not　even　know　that　they　are　dogmas。



It　may　be　said　even　that　the　modern　world；　as　a　corporate　body；



holds　certain　dogmas　so　strongly　that　it　does　not　know　that　they



are　dogmas。　　It　may　be　thought　〃dogmatic；〃　for　instance；　in　some



circles　accounted　progressive；　to　assume　the　perfection　or　improvement



of　man　in　another　world。　　But　it　is　not　thought　〃dogmatic〃　to　assume



the　perfection　or　improvement　of　man　in　this　world；　though　that　idea



of　progress　is　quite　as　unproved　as　the　idea　of　immortality；



and　from　a　rationalistic　point　of　view　quite　as　improbable。



Progress　happens　to　be　one　of　our　dogmas；　and　a　dogma　means



a　thing　which　is　not　thought　dogmatic。　　Or；　again；　we　see　nothing



〃dogmatic〃　in　the　inspiring；　but　certainly　most　startling；



theory　of　physical　science；　that　we　should　collect　facts　for　the　sake



of　facts；　even　though　they　seem　as　useless　as　sticks　and　straws。



This　is　a　great　and　suggestive　idea；　and　its　utility　may；



if　you　will；　be　proving　itself；　but　its　utility　is；　in　the　abstract；



quite　as　disputable　as　the　utility　of　that　calling　on　oracles



or　consulting　shrines　which　is　also　said　to　prove　itself。



Thus；　because　we　are　not　in　a　civilization　which　believes　strongly



in　oracles　or　sacred　places；　we　see　the　full　frenzy　of　those　who



killed　themselves　to　find　the　sepulchre　of　Christ。　　But　being　in　a



civilization　which　does　believe　in　this　dogma　of　fact　for　facts'　sake；



we　do　not　see　the　full　frenzy　of　those　who　kill　themselves　to　find



the　North　Pole。　　I　am　not　speaking　of　a　tenable　ultimate　utility



which　is　true　both　of　the　Crusades　and　the　polar　explorations。



I　mean　merely　that　we　do　see　the　superficial　and　aesthetic　singularity；



the　startling　quality；　about　the　idea　of　men　crossing　a



continent　with　armies　to　conquer　the　place　where　a　man　died。



But　we　do　not　see　the　aesthetic　singularity　and　startling　quality



of　men　dying　in　agonies　to　find　a　place　where　no　man　can　live



a　place　only　interesting　because　it　is　supposed　to　be　the　meeting…place



of　some　lines　that　do　not　exist。







Let　us；　then；　go　upon　a　long　journey　and　enter　on　a　dreadful　search。



Let　us；　at　least；　dig　and　seek　till　we　have　discovered　our　own　opinions。



The　dogmas　we　really　hold　are　far　more　fantastic；　and；　perhaps；　far　more



beautiful　than　we　think。　　In　the　course　of　these　essays　I　fear　that　I



have　spoken　from　time　to　time　of　rationalists　and　rationalism；



and　that　in　a　disparaging　sense。　　Being　full　of　that　kindliness



which　should　come　at　the　end　of　everything；　even　of　a　book；



I　apologize　to　the　rationalists　even　for　calling　them　rationalists。



There　are　no　rationalists。　　We　all　believe　fairy…tales；　and　live　in　them。



Some；　with　a　sumptuous　literary　turn；　believe　in　the　existence　of　the　lady



clothed　with　the　sun。　　Some；　with　a　more　rustic；　elvish　instinct；



like　Mr。　McCabe；　believe　merely　in　the　impossible　sun　itself。



Some　hold　the　undemonstrable　dogma　of　the　existence　of　God；



some　the　equally　undemonstrable　dogma　of　the　existence　of　the



man　next　door。







Truths　turn　into　dogmas　the　instant　that　they　are　disputed。



Thus　every　man　who　utters　a　doubt　defines　a　religion。　　And　the　scepticism



of　our　time　does　not　really　destroy　the　beliefs；　rather　it　creates　them；



gives　them　their　limits　and　their　plain　and　defiant　shape。



We　who　are　Liberals　once　held　Liberalism　lightly　as　a　truism。



Now　it　has　been　disputed；　and　we　hold　it　fiercely　as　a　faith。



We　who　believe　in　patriotism　once　thought　patriotism　to　be　reasonable；



and　thought　little　more　about　it。　　Now　we　know　it　to　be　unreasonable；



and　know　it　to　be　right。　　We　who　are　Christians　never　knew　the　great



philosophic　common　sense　which　inheres　in　that　mystery　until



the　anti…Christian　writers　pointed　it　out　to　us。　　The　great　march



of　mental　destruction　will　go　on。　　Everything　will　be　denied。



Everything　will　become　a　creed。　　It　is　a　reasonable　position



to　deny　the　stones　in　the　street；　it　will　be　a　religious　dogma



to　assert　them。　　It　is　a　rational　thesis　that　we　are　all　in　a　dream；



it　will　be　a　mystical　sanity　to　say　that　we　are　all　awake。



Fires　will　be　kindled　to　testify　that　two　and　two　make　four。



Swords　will　be　drawn　to　prove　that　leaves　are　green　in　summer。



We　shall　be　left　defending；　not　only　the　incredible　virtues



and　sanities　of　human　life；　but　something　more　incredible　still；



this　huge　impossible　universe　which　stares　us　in　the　face。



We　shall　fight　for　visible　prodigies　as　if　they　were　invisible。　　We　shall



look　on　the　impossible　grass　and　the　skies　with　a　strange　courage。



We　shall　be　of　those　who　have　seen　and　yet　have　believed。













THE　END