登陆注册
5416500000172

第172章 Chapter VI(36)

Morals,again,says Ward,are as certain as mathematical intuitions;the truth that 'malice and mendacity are evil habits'is as necessary as the truth that 'all trilateral figures are triangular.'(237)Further,I 'intue'that 'all morally evil acts are prohibited by some living Personal Being';and from this axiom it follows,as an obvious inference,'that this Person is the supreme Legislator of the Universe.'(238)The obvious difficulty is that Ward proves too much.His argument is leading to an independent theism,not a theism reconcilable with an historical creed.Accordingly he has to limit or resist his own logic.He admits the uniformity of nature as 'generally true,'but makes two exceptions,in favour,first,of 'an indefinite frequency'of miracles,and secondly of the freedom of 'human volitions.'(239)The Freewill doctrine leads to an elaborate and dexterous display of dialectic,though he must be a very feeble determinist who could not translate Ward's arguments into his own language.Beyond this we have further difficulties.If the creed be as demonstrable as Euclid,how can anybody deny it?Ward has to account for the refusal of those who do not accept his intuitions by some moral defect;they are like blind men reasoning upon colours.Mill's 'antitheism'shows that he was guilty of 'grave sin';for,on the Catholic doctrine,there can be no 'invincible ignorance of the one true God.'(240)Many men,however,condemn the creed of revelation precisely upon the moral ground.The Utilitarians denounced the profound immorality of the doctrine of hell and of vicarious punishment.Ward's argument requires such a conscience as will recognise the morality of a system which to others seems radically immoral,The giver of the moral law is also the giver of the natural law.But it seems to be as hard to show that Nature is moral in this sense as to show that the moral legislator,if omnipotent,can also be benevolent.

The one great religious difficulty,as Ward allows,is the existence of evil.He quotes Newman's statement that it is a 'vision to dizzy and appal;and inflicts upon the mind a sense of a profound mystery,which is absolutely beyond human solution.'(241)Plainly,it comes to this:the 'intuitions'are in conflict with experience.They assert that the creator is omnipotent and infinitely just and benevolent.The admitted facts are incompatible with the theory,and are therefore declared to imply an 'insoluble mystery.'Ward intimates that he can show the true place of this difficulty after setting forth the 'impregnable basis on which Theism reposes.'But he does not appear to have found time for this ambitious enterprise.

This introduces the more special problem.How from your purely metaphysical position do you get to the historical position?What is the relation between the authority of the Church and the authority of the pure reason?Though Ward was perfectly satisfied with his own metaphysics,it was of course evident to him that such reasoning was altogether beyond the reach of the mass of mankind.If you are to prove your creed by putting people right about Freewill and the uniformity of nature,you will adjourn the solution till the day of judgment.An essential point of his whole argument is the utter incapacity of mankind at large to form any judgment upon such matters.The Protestant 'right of private judgment'means scepticism.

Everybody will have his own opinion if nobody trusts any one else.If the truth of Christianity is to be proved by the evidences after Paley's fashion,nobody has a right to believe who has not swallowed whole libraries and formed elaborate canons of criticism.The peasant who holds opinions about history,to say nothing of science and philosophy,must obviously take them on trust.Hence we must either give up the doctrine that 'certitude'is necessary,or we must find some proof accessible to the uneducated mind.But it is an essential point of Catholicism,if not of Christianity,that faith is necessary to salvation.If wrong belief be sinful,right belief must be attainable.But men by themselves are utterly impenetrable to right reason.We have,then,to combine scepticism as to the actual working of the human intellect with dogmatism as to the faith.How is that feat to be accomplished?

Ward replies,by the doctrine of 'implicit reasoning.'

同类推荐
  • 河南程氏遗书

    河南程氏遗书

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 佛说略教诫经

    佛说略教诫经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 杨太真外传

    杨太真外传

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 上清修身要事经

    上清修身要事经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 天界觉浪盛禅师全录

    天界觉浪盛禅师全录

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 盖世狂帝

    盖世狂帝

    少年有梦:为天地立心,为人族立命,为往圣继绝学,为众生开太平!一掌灭万界,一拳镇千古!一怒万族颤栗,血染青天。
  • 你是我的小庆幸

    你是我的小庆幸

    他是学校有名的大魔王,他叫顾恒;她是学霸,人如其名温温吞吞,周慢慢;她只要遇到顾恒就会倒霉,而她往往又能给顾恒带来好运气。
  • 云照清秋

    云照清秋

    大小姐翦云照,进京不到两月,在闺房里意外晕倒……当娘的第一个念头便是:怎么会?照儿虽是文静的女儿家,可身体一直很健康,从没让她这个当娘的操心……想那么多有什么用,还是请郎中要紧……翦清秋三十来年的人生,将近十年都在恐慌与紧张中生活,心上的那根弦从来就没有放松过……没办法,谁让她各方面都那么优秀,做卧底就需要这种极品人才……很不幸的是,在卧底任务即将完成的时候,却被自己的接头上级一枪毙命……干什么?死都死了,还灌什么药?堕胎药?要疯了,本姑娘活了三十来年,还没谈过恋爱呢……王八蛋…好不容易重生了,本姑娘还想着好好的享受一下古代的闲适人生呢,就因为那王八蛋,使得她初初来到便焦头烂额的
  • 我的分身帝国

    我的分身帝国

    意外拥有了分裂自己的能力,一个个分裂体渗透进了社会当中,一家家托拉斯垄断企业出现在世界各地,一家近乎垄断了世界所有行业的巨型集团出现在了这颗蔚蓝的星球上。人们从遍布世界各地泰坦医疗旗下的医院出生、在泰坦教育的学校吃着泰坦农业的粮食长大、就职于将触手伸向星空的泰坦矿业,老死时被泰坦能源转换成能量送进千家万户,人们的整个人生都将笼罩在泰坦集团BOSS手中。只有我才能带领着人类团结地迈入星空!我,就是这个文明暗中的掌控者!我的分裂体将会无处不在!他们的眼睛将会监视着你们的一举一动!160万字《我的群星帝国》完本保证!圣母勿入!
  • 长生诠经

    长生诠经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 倾世狂傲妃

    倾世狂傲妃

    【双生花☆北北】“夏飞雪傻了…..”整个万圣国,大街小巷,洒楼茶馆,街边乞丐,鸡窝狗洞里无不议论纷纷….世人皆知,夏家三小姐身子虚弱,常年有病,庶女身份,克死娘亲,武学天分为零,猫猫狗狗都可以欺辱的废材一枚。夫君王爷回府前,调戏美男突然变傻。夏飞雪人生格言:“死多不好玩?想死,死不了,半死不活才好玩。”“哟,天下?这礼送的真没诚意。”妖媚的口气,狂傲的神情。一言震惊世人,凤凰涅盘,银针出手,例无虚发。夜无殇一代战神天生嗜血,凛冽,却只为一人而融;夏飞雪,人不犯我,我不犯人,人若犯我,斩草除根。【北北的新文各种求啊。坑品保证】
  • 油菜花开香两岸

    油菜花开香两岸

    日头火一般炙烤着大地,也炙烤着地里的庄稼、河堤上的树木杂草。嘈杂的蝉鸣把炎热渲染得更加质感。栓子蹬着狭窄的青石台阶爬上了徒骇河大闸。像往常一样,他爬上了大闸最高的一个柱子,坐在了柱子顶上。
  • 爱让我们变成傻瓜

    爱让我们变成傻瓜

    恋爱中的女生智商都为零。愚人创造了爱情世界,智者无法乐在其中,正如对幸福的寻求是自我欺骗一样,在追求的过程中我们会变成愚蠢的人。
  • 魂游之界

    魂游之界

    杀戮和欲望占据的魂游界,人人为己!为了生不得不去杀戮、蚕食他人的一切!人性的丑陋成为了生存下去的武器。飞蛾是幸运的,经历风霜岁月,求以性善之美,踏上了救赎之路。
  • 九天魔帝

    九天魔帝

    一入玄冥万骨枯,沧桑红尘尽成土。血衣铁刀乾坤泣,九天苍穹叩......魔帝!