evolution and ethics and other essays-第37部分

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ethical　manthe　member　of　society　or　citizennecessarily　runs
counter　to　that　which　the　non…ethical　manthe　primitive　savage；　or
man　as　a　mere　member　of　the　animal　kingdomtends　to　adopt。　The　latter
fights　out　the　struggle　for　existence　to　the　bitter　end；　like　any
other　animal；　the　former　devotes　his　best　energies　to　the　object　of
setting　limits　to　the　struggle。*

In　the　cycle　of　phenomena　presented　by　the　life　of　man；　the　animal；　no
more　moral　end　is　discernible　than　in　that　presented　by　the　lives　of
the　wolf　and　of　the　deer。　However　imperfect　the　relics　of　prehistoric
men　may　be；　the　evidence　which　they　afford　clearly　tends　to　the
conclusion　that；　for　thousands　and　thousands　of　years；　before　the
origin　of　the　oldest　known　civilizations；　men　were　savages　of　a　very
low　type。　They　strove　with　their　enemies　and　their　competitors；　they
preyed　upon　things　weaker　or　less　cunning　than　themselves；　they　were
born；　multiplied　without　stint；　and　died；　for　thousands　of　generations
alongside　the　mammoth；　the　urus；　the　lion；　and　the　hyaena；　whose　lives
were　spent　in　the　same　way；　＇204＇　and　they　were　no　more　to　be　praised
or　blamed　on　moral　grounds；　than　their　less　erect　and　more　hairy
compatriots。

　　　　*　＇The　reader　will　observe　that　this　is　the　argument　of　the
　　　　Romanes　Lecture；　in　brief。1894。＇

As　among　these；　so　among　primitive　men；　the　weakest　and　stupidest　went
to　the　wall；　while　the　toughest　and　shrewdest；　those　who　were　best
fitted　to　cope　with　their　circumstances；　but　not　the　best　in　any　other
sense；　survived。　Life　was　a　continual　free　fight；　and　beyond　the
limited　and　temporary　relations　of　the　family；　the　Hobbesian　war　of
each　against　all　was　the　normal　state　of　existence。　The　human　species；
like　others；　plashed　and　floundered　amid　the　general　stream　of
evolution；　keeping　its　head　above　water　as　it　best　might；　and　thinking
neither　of　whence　nor　whither。

The　history　of　civilizationthat　is；　of　societyon　the　other　hand；　is
the　record　of　the　attempts　which　the　human　race　has　made　to　escape
from　this　position。　The　first　men　who　substituted　the　state　of　mutual
peace　for　that　of　mutual　war；　whatever　the　motive　which　impelled　them
to　take　that　step；　created　society。　But；　in　establishing　peace；　they
obviously　put　a　limit　upon　the　struggle　for　existence。　Between　the
members　of　that　society；　at　any　rate；　it　was　not　to　be　pursued　a
outrance。　And　of　all　the　successive　shapes　which　society　has　taken；
that　most　nearly　approaches　perfection　in　which　the　war　of　individual
against　individual　is　most　strictly　limited。

＇205＇　The　primitive　savage；　tutored　by　Istar；　appropriated　whatever
took　his　fancy；　and　killed　whomsoever　opposed　him；　if　he　could。　On　the
contrary；　the　ideal　of　the　ethical　man　is　to　limit　his　freedom　of
action　to　a　sphere　in　which　he　does　not　interfere　with　the　freedom　of
others；　he　seeks　the　common　weal　as　much　as　his　own；　and；　indeed；　as
an　essential　part　of　his　own　welfare。　Peace　is　both　end　and　means　with
him；　and　he　founds　his　life　on　a　more　or　less　complete　self…restraint；
which　is　the　negation　of　the　unlimited　struggle　for　existence。　He
tries　to　escape　from　his　place　in　the　animal　kingdom；　founded　on　the
free　development　of　the　principle　of　non…moral　evolution；　and　to
establish　a　kingdom　of　Man；　governed　upon　tile　principle　of　moral
evolution。　For　society　not　only　has　a　moral　end；　but　in　its
perfection；　social　life；　is　embodied　morality。

But　the　effort　of　ethical　man　to　work　towards　a　moral　end　by　no　means
abolished；　perhaps　has　hardly　modified；　the　deep…seated　organic
impulses　which　impel　the　natural　man　to　follow　his　non…moral　course。
One　of　the　most　essential　conditions；　if　not　the　chief　cause；　of　the
struggle　for　existence；　is　the　tendency　to　multiply　without　limit；
which　man　shares　with　all　living　things。　It　is　notable　that　〃increase
and　multiply〃　is　a　commandment　traditionally　much　older　than　the　ten；
and　that　it　is；　perhaps；　the　only　one　which　has　been　spontaneously　and
ex　animo　obeyed　by　＇206＇　the　great　majority　of　the　human　race。　But；　in
civilized　society；　the　inevitable　result　of　such　obedience　is　the
re…establishment；　in　all　its　intensity；　of　that　struggle　for
existencethe　war　of　each　against　allthe　mitigation　or　abolition　of
which　was　the　chief　end　of　social　organization。

It　is　conceivable　that；　at　some。　in　the　history　of　the　fabled　Atlantis；
the　production　of　food　should　have　been　exactly　sufficient　to　meet　the
wants　of　the　population；　that　the　makers　of　the　commodities　of　the
artificer　should　have　amounted　to　just　the　number　supportable　by　the
surplus　food　of　the　agriculturists。　And；　as　there　is　no　harm　in　adding
another　monstrous　supposition　to　the　foregoing；　let　it　be　imagined
that　every　man；　woman；　and　child　was　perfectly　virtuous；　and　aimed　at
the　good　of　all　as　the　highest　personal　good。　In　that　happy　land；　the
natural　man　would　have　been　finally　put　down　by　the　ethical　man。　There
would　have　been　no　competition；　but　the　industry　of　each　would　have
been　serviceable　to　all；　nobody　being　vain　and　nobody　avaricious；
there　would　have　been　no　rivalries；　the　struggle　for　existence　would
have　been　abolished；　and　the　millennium　would　have　finally　set　in。　But
it　is　obvious　that　this　state　of　things　could　have　been　permanent　only
with　a　stationary　population。　Add　ten　fresh　mouths；　and　as；　by　the
supposition；　there　was　only　exactly　enough　before；　somebody　must　go　on
short　rations。　The　＇207＇　Atlantis　society　might　have　been　a　heaven
upon　earth；　the　whole　nation　might　have　consisted　of　just　men；　needing
no　repentance；　and　yet　somebody　must　starve。　Reckless　Istar；　non…moral
Nature；　would　have　riven　the　ethical　fabric。　I　was　once　talking　with　a
very　eminent　physician*　about　the　vis　medicatrix　naturae。　〃Stuff！〃
said　he；　〃nine　times　out　of　ten　nature　does　not　want　to　cure　the　man：
she　wants　to　put　him　in　his　coffin。〃　And　Istar…Nature　appears　to　have
equally　little　sympathy　with　the　ends　of　society。　〃Stuff！　she　wants
nothing　but　a　fair　field　and　free　play　for　her　darling　the　strongest。〃

　　　　*　The　late　Sir　W。　Gull

Our　Atlantis　may　be　an　impossible　figment；　but　the　antagonistic
tendencies　which　the　fable　adumbrates　have　existed　in　every　society
which　was　ever　established；　and；　to　all　appearance；　must　strive　for
the　victory　in　all　that　will　be。　Historians　point　to　the　greed　and
ambition　of　rulers；　to　the　reckless　turbulence　of　the　ruled；　to　the
debasing　effects　of　wealth　and　luxury；　and　to　the　devastating　wars
which　have　formed　a　great　part　of　the　occupation　of　mankind；　as　the
causes　of　the　decay　of　states　and　the　foundering　of　old　civilizations；
and　thereby　point　their　story　with　a　moral。　　No　doubt　immoral　motives
of　all　sorts　have　figured　largely　among　the　minor　causes　of　these
events。　But　beneath　all　this　＇208＇　superficial　turmoil　lay　the
deep…seated　impulse　given　by　unlimited　multiplication。　In　the　swarms
of　colonies　thrown　out　by　Phoenicia　and　by　old　Greece；　in　the　ver
sacrum　of　the　Latin　races；　in　the　floods　of　Gauls　and　of　Teutons　which
burst　over　the　frontiers　of　the　old　civilization　of　Europe；　in　the
swaying　to　and　fro　of　the　vast　Mongolian　hordes　in　late　times；　the
population　problem　comes　to　the　front　i