战争与和平(下)-第25部分

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All　human　sciences　have　followed　the　same　course。　Reaching　infinitesimals；　mathematics；　the　most　exact　of　the　sciences；　leaves　the　process　of　analysis　and　enters　on　a　new　process　of　approximating　to　summing　up　the　unknown　infinitesimals。　Forsaking　the　conception　of　cause；　mathematics　seeks　law；　that　is；　properties　common　to　all　unknown；　infinitesimal　quantities。
The　other　sciences；　too；　have　followed　the　same　course；　though　under　another　form。　When　Newton　formulated　the　law　of　gravity；　he　did　not　say　that　the　sun　or　the　earth　has　the　property　of　attraction。　He　said　that　all　bodies—from　the　greatest　to　the　smallest—have　the　property　of　attracting　one　another；　that　is；　leaving　on　one　side　the　question　of　the　cause　of　the　movements　of　bodies；　he　expressed　the　property　common　to　all　bodies；　from　the　infinitely　great　to　the　infinitely　small。　The　natural　sciences　do　the　same　thing；　leaving　on　one　side　the　question　of　cause；　they　seek　for　laws。　History；　too；　is　entered　on　the　same　course。　And　if　the　subject　of　history　is　to　be　the　study　of　the　movements　of　peoples　and　of　humanity；　and　not　episodes　from　the　lives　of　individual　men；　it　too　is　bound　to　lay　aside　the　idea　of　cause；　and　to　seek　the　laws　common　to　all　the　equal　and　inseparably　interconnected；　infinitesimal　elements　of　free　will。


Chapter　12
EVER　SINCE　the　law　of　Copernicus　was　discovered　and　proved；　the　mere　recognition　that　not　the　sun；　but　the　earth　moves；　has　destroyed　the　whole　cosmography　of　the　ancients。　By　disproving　the　law；　it　might　have　been　possible　to　retain　the　old　conception　of　the　movements　of　the　heavenly　bodies；　but　without　disproving　it；　it　would　seem　to　be　impossible　to　continue　studying　the　Ptolemaic　worlds。　But　as　a　fact　even　after　the　discovery　of　the　law　of　Copernicus；　the　Ptolemaic　worlds　long　continued　to　be　a　subject　of　study。
Ever　since　the　first　person　said　and　proved　that　the　number　of　births　or　crimes　is　subject　to　mathematical　laws；　that　certain　geographical　and　politico…economical　laws　determine　this　or　that　form　of　government；　that　certain　relations　of　the　population　to　the　soil　lead　to　migrations　of　peoples—from　that　moment　the　foundations　on　which　history　was　built　were　destroyed　in　their　essence。
By　disproving　those　new　laws；　the　old　view　of　history　might　have　been　retained。　But　without　disproving　them；　it　would　seem　impossible　to　continue　studying　historical　events；　merely　as　the　arbitrary　product　of　the　free　will　of　individual　men。　For　if　a　certain　type　of　government　is　established；　or　a　certain　movement　of　peoples　takes　place　in　consequence　of　certain　geographical；　ethnographical；　or　economic　conditions；　the　free　will　of　those　persons　who　are　described　to　us　as　setting　up　that　type　of　government　or　leading　that　movement　cannot　be　regarded　as　the　cause。
And　yet　history　goes　on　being　studied　as　of　old；　side　by　side　with　laws　of　statistics；　of　geography；　of　political　economy；　of　comparative　philology　and　geology；　that　flatly　contradict　its　assumptions。
The　struggle　between　the　new　views　and　the　old　was　long　and　stubborn　in　physical　philosophy。　Theology　stood　on　guard　over　the　old　view；　and　accused　the　new　view　of　violating　revelation。　But　when　truth　gained　the　day；　theology　established　itself　as　firmly　as　ever　on　a　new　basis。
As　long　and　as　obstinate　is　the　conflict　to…day　between　the　old　and　the　new　view　of　history；　and　in　the　same　way　theology　stands　on　guard　over　the　old　view；　and　accuses　the　new　of　attacking　revelation。
In　both　cases　on　both　sides；　the　struggle　rouses　evil　passions　and　stifles　truth。　On　one　side　there　is　dread　and　regret　at　demolishing　the　edifice　that　has　been　raised　by　the　ages；　on　the　other；　the　passion　for　destruction。
To　the　men　who　fought　against　the　new　truths　of　physical　philosophy；　it　seemed　that　if　they　were　to　admit　that　truth；　it　would　shatter　faith　in　God；　in　the　creation　of　the　firmament；　in　the　miracle　of　Joshua；　the　son　of　Nun。　To　the　champions　of　the　laws　of　Copernicus　and　Newton；　to　Voltaire；　for　instance；　it　seemed　that　the　laws　of　astronomy　were　destructive　of　religion；　and　the　latter　made　use　of　the　law　of　gravity　as　a　weapon　against　religion。
So　now　it　seems　that　we　have　but　to　admit　the　law　of　necessity　to　shatter　the　conception　of　the　soul；　of　good；　of　evil；　and　of　the　political　and　ecclesiastical　edifices　reared　on　the　basis　of　those　conceptions。
So　too；　like　Voltaire　in　his　day；　the　champions　of　the　law　of　necessity　use　the　law　as　a　weapon　against　religion；　though；　like　the　law　of　Copernicus　in　astronomy；　the　law　of　necessity　in　history；　far　from　destroying　even　strengthens　the　foundation　on　which　political　and　ecclesiastical　edifices　are　reared。
Just　as　then　in　the　question　of　astronomy；　now　in　the　question　of　history；　the　whole　difference　of　view　rested　on　the　recognition　or　non…recognition　of　an　absolute　unit　as　a　measure　of　visible　phenomena。　For　astronomy；　this　was　the　immobility　of　the　earth；　in　history；　the　independence　of　personality—free　will。
Just　as　in　astronomy　the　difficulty　of　admitting　the　motion　of　the　earth　lay　in　the　immediate　sensation　of　the　earth’s　stationariness　and　of　the　planets’　motion；　so　in　history　the　difficulty　of　recognising　the　subjection　of　the　personality　to　the　laws　of　space　and　time　and　causation　lies　in　the　difficulty　of　surmounting　the　direct　sensation　of　the　independence　of　one’s　personality。　But　just　as　in　astronomy；　the　new　view　said；　‘‘It　is　true；　we　do　not　feel　the　movement　of　the　earth；　but；　if　we　admit　its　immobility；　we　are　reduced　to　absurdity；　while　admitting　its　movement；　we　are　led　to　laws’’；　so　in　history；　the　new　view　says；　‘‘It　is　true；　we　do　not　feel　our　dependence；　but　admitting　our　free　will；　we　are　led　to　absurdity；　admitting　our　dependence　on　the　external　world；　time；　and　cause；　we　are　led　to　laws。’’
In　the　first　case；　we　had　to　surmount　the　sensation　of　an　unreal　immobility　in　space；　and　to　admit　a　motion　we　could　not　perceive　of　by　sense。　In　the　present　case；　it　is　as　essential　to　surmount　a　consciousness　of　an　unreal　freedom　and　to　recognise　a　dependence　not　perceived　by　our　senses。


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