evolution and ethics and other essays-第14部分

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life；　in　the　face；　he　found　it　as　hard　as　we　do　to　bring　the　course　of
evolution　into　harmony　with　even　the　elementary　requirement　of　the
ethical　ideal　of　the　just　and　the　good。

If　there　is　one　thing　plainer　than　another；　it　is　that　neither　the
pleasures　nor　the　pains　of　life；　in　the　merely　animal　world；　are
distributed　according　to　desert；　for　it　is　admittedly　impossible　for
the　lower　orders　of　sentient　beings；　to　deserve　either　the　one　or　the
other。　If　there　is　a　generalization　from　the　facts　of　human　life　which
has　the　assent　of　thoughtful　men　in　every　age　and　country；　it　is　that
the　violator　of　ethical　rules　constantly　escapes　the　punishment　which
he　deserves；　that　the　wicked　flourishes　like　a　green　bay　tree；　while；
the　righteous　begs　his　bread；　that　the　sins　of　the　fathers　are　visited
upon　the　children；　that；　in　the　realm　of　nature；　ignorance　is　punished
just　as　severely　as　wilful　wrong；　and　that　thousands　upon　thousands　of
innocent　beings　suffer　for　the　crime；　or　the　unintentional　trespass　of
one。

Greek　and　Semite　and　Indian　are　agreed　upon　＇59＇　this　subject。　The　book
of　Job　is　at　one　with　the　〃Works　and　Days〃　and　the　Buddhist　Sutras；
the　Psalmist　and　the　Preacher　of　Israel；　with　the　Tragic　Poets　of
Greece。　What　is　a　more　common　motive　of　the　ancient　tragedy　in　fact；
than　the　unfathomable　injustice　of　the　nature　of　things；　what　is　more
deeply　felt　to　be　true　than　its　presentation　of　the　destruction　of　the
blameless　by　the　work　of　his　own　hands；　or　by　the　fatal　operation　of
the　sins　of　others？　　Surely　Oedipus　was　pure　of　heart；　it　was　the
natural　sequence　of　eventsthe　cosmic　processwhich　drove　him；　in
all　innocence；　to　slay　his　father　and　become　the　husband　of　his
mother；　to　the　desolation　of　his　people　and　his　own　headlong　ruin。　Or
to　step；　for　a　moment；　beyond　the　chronological　limits　I　have　set
myself；　what　constitutes　the　sempiternal　attraction　of　Hamlet　but　the
appeal　to　deepest　experience　of　that　history　of　a　no　less　blameless
dreamer；　dragged；　in　spite　of　himself；　into　a　world　out　of　joint
involved　in　a　tangle　of　crime　and　misery；　created　by　one　of　the　prime
agents　of　the　cosmic　process　as　it　works　in　and　through　man？

Thus；　brought　before　the　tribunal　of　ethics；　the　cosmos　might　well　seem
to　stand　condemned。　The　conscience　of　man　revolted　against　the　moral
indifference　of　nature；　and　the　microcosmic　atom　should　have　found　the
illimitable　macrocosm　guilty。　But　few；　or　none；　ventured　to　record
that　verdict。

＇60＇　In　the　great　Semitic　trial　of　this　issue；　Job　takes　refuge　in
silence　and　submission；　the　Indian　and　the　Greek；　less　wise　perhaps；
attempt　to　reconcile　the　irreconcilable　and　plead　for　the　defendant。
To　this　end；　the　Greeks　invented　Theodicies；　while　the　Indians　devised
what；　in　its　ultimate　form；　must　rather　be　termed　a　Cosmodicy。　For；
although　Buddhism　recognizes　gods　many　and　lords　many；　they　are
products　of　the　cosmic　process；　and　transitory；　however　long　enduring；
manifestations　of　its　eternal　activity。　　In　the　doctrine　of
transmigration；　whatever　its　origin；　Brahminical　and　Buddhist
speculation　found；　ready　to　hand＇Note　4＇　the　means　of　constructing　a
plausible　vindication　of　the　ways　of　the　cosmos　to　man。　If　this　world
is　full　of　pain　and　sorrow；　if　grief　and　evil　fall；　like　the　rain；
upon　both　the　just　and　the　unjust；　it　is　because；　like　the　rain；　they
are　links　in　the　endless　chain　of　natural　causation　by　which　past；
present；　and　future　are　indissolubly　connected；　and　there　is　no　more
injustice　in　the　one　case　than　in　the　other。　Every　sentient　being　is
reaping　as　it　has　sown；　if　not　in　this　life；　then　in　one　or　other　of
the　infinite　series　of　antecedent　existences　of　which　it　is　the　latest
term。　The　present　distribution　of　good　and　evil　is；　therefore；　the
algebraical　sum　of　accumulated　positive　and　negative　deserts；　or；
rather；　it　depends　on　the　floating　balance　of　the　account。　For　it　was
not　thought　necessary　that　a　complete　settlement　＇61＇　should　ever　take
place。　Arrears　might　stand　over　as　a　sort　of　〃hanging　gale；〃　a　period
of　celestial　happiness　just　earned　might　be　succeeded　by　ages　of
torment　in　a　hideous　nether　world；　the　balance　still　overdue　for　some
remote　ancestral　error。　＇Note　5＇

Whether　the　cosmic　process　looks　any　more　moral　than　at　first；　after
such　a　vindication；　may　perhaps　be　questioned。　Yet　this　plea　of
justification　is　not　less　plausible　than　others；　and　none　but　very
hasty　thinkers　will　reject　it　on　the　ground　of　inherent　absurdity。
Like　the　doctrine　of　evolution　itself；　that　of　transmigration　has　its
roots　in　the　world　of　reality；　and　it　may　claim　such　support　as　the
great　argument　from　analogy　is　capable　of　supplying。

Everyday　experience　familiarizes　us　with　the　facts　which　are　grouped
under　the　name　of　heredity。　Every　one　of　us　bears　upon　him　obvious
marks　of　his　parentage；　perhaps　of　remoter　relationships。　More
particularly；　the　sum　of　tendencies　to　act　in　a　certain　way；　which　we
call　〃character；〃　is　often　to　be　traced　through　a　long　series　of
progenitors　and　collaterals。　So　we　may　justly　say　that　this
〃character〃this　moral　and　intellectual　essence　of　a　mandoes
veritably　pass　over　from　one　fleshly　tabernacle　to　another；　and　does
really　transmigrate　from　generation　to　generation。　In　the　new…born
infant；　the　character　of　the　stock　lies　latent；　and　the　Ego　is　little
more　＇62＇　than　a　bundle　of　potentialities。　But；　very　early；　these
become　acutalities；　from　childhood　to　age　they　manifest　themselves　in
dulness　or　brightness；　weakness　or　strength；　viciousness　or
uprightness；　and　with　each　feature　modified　by　confluence　with　another
character；　if　by　nothing　else；　the　character　passed　on　to　its
incarnation　in　new　bodies。

The　Indian　philosophers　called　character；　as　thus　defined；
〃karma。〃＇Note　6＇　It　is　this　karma　which　passed　from　life　to　life　and
linked　them　in　the　chain　of　transmigrations；　and　they　held　that　it　is
modified　in　each　life；　not　merely　by　confluence　of　parentage；　but　by
its　own　acts。　They　were；　in　fact；　strong　believers　in　the　theory；　so
much　disputed　just　at　present；　of　the　hereditary　transmission　of
acquired　characters。　That　the　manifestation　of　the　tendencies　of　a
character　may　be　greatly　facilitated；　or　impeded；　by　conditions；　of
which　self…discipline；　or　the　absence　of　it；　are　among　the　most
important；　is　indubitable；　but　that　the　character　itself　is　modified
in　this　way　is　by　no　means　so　certain；　it　is　not　so　sure　that　the
transmitted　character　of　an　evil　liver　is　worse；　or　that　of　a
righteous　man　better；　than　that　which　he　received。　Indian　philosophy；
however；　did　not　admit　of　any　doubt　on　this　subject；　the　belief　in　the
influence　of　conditions；　notably　of　self…discipline；　on　the　karma　was
not　merely　a　necessary　postulate　of　its　theory　of　retribution；　but　it
presented　＇63＇　the　only　way　of　escape　from　the　endless　round　of
transmigrations。

The　earlier　forms　of　Indian　philosophy　agreed　with　those　prevalent　in
our　own　times；　in　supposing　the　existence　of　a　permanent　reality；　or
〃substance；〃　beneath　the　shifting　series　of　phenomena；　whether　of
matter　or　of　mind。　The　substance　of　the　cosmos　was　〃Brahma；〃　that　of
the　individual　man　〃Atman；〃　and　the　latte