imprisoned, unconscious of any task, without prospect or exaltation, as
if they dwelt in a cellar or in a dark dungeon. These are the sanctions
of Morality. It has no others, nor does it need them.
In one passage of the book cited above Guyau makes the doubting remark:
"Who can tell us whether Morality is not ... at one and the same time a
beautiful and useful art? Perhaps it bewitches us and deceives us." Let
us assume that it is an illusion. That would not detract from its value
for mankind. Is not all our knowledge of the world, is not our whole
view of Nature an illusion? We are made conscious of the universe by its
qualities, and these qualities are conferred on it by our senses. But
all knowledge that we derive from our senses is an illusion. For the
senses do not convey reality to us, but the modifications which the
influence of reality produces in our sense organs. The universe has
neither sound nor colour nor scent. But we perceive it as sounding,
coloured and scented. These qualities we attribute to reality are
illusions of our senses, but these illusions make up all the beauty of
the world which without them would be dumb, blind and without charm for
us.
Life for us is an unspeakably oppressive riddle. Has it an aim, and, if
so, what? We do not know. All thought only leads to the conclusion: life
is its own aim and end, we live for life's sake. And this conclusion is
no solution of the problem. Then Morality appears, and not only makes
life easier and possible, but even shows us an aim, if not for
universal, at least for individual life. That aim is the humanization of
the animal, the spiritualization of man, the exaltation and enrichment
of the individual by means of sympathy, neighbourly kindness, a sense of
joint responsibility, and the subjection of Instinct to Reason which, as
far as we know, is the noblest product of Nature. It is possible that
Morality, which hides the eerie unintelligibility of life from us, is an
illusion. Blessed be the illusion which makes life worth living.
Printed in England by Cassell & Company, Limited, London, E.C.4.
F17.122
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account