The true end of Man, or that which is prescribed by the eternal and immutable1 dictates2 of reason, and not suggested by vague and transient desires, is the highest and most harmonious3 development of his powers to a complete and consistent whole. Freedom is the grand and indispensable condition which the possibility of such a development presupposes; but there is besides another essential,—intimately connected with freedom, it is true,—a variety of situations. Even the most free and self-reliant of men is thwarted4 and hindered in his development by uniformity of position. But as it is evident, on the one hand, that such a diversity is a constant result of freedom, and on the other, that there is a species of oppression which, without imposing5 restrictions6 on man himself, gives a peculiar7 impress of its own to surrounding circumstances; these two conditions, of freedom and variety of situation, may be regarded, in a certain sense, as one and the same. Still, it may contribute to perspicuity8 to point out the distinction between them.
Every human being, then, can act with but one force at the same time: or rather, our whole nature disposes us at any given time to some single form of spontaneous activity. It would therefore seem to follow from this, that man is inevitably9 destined10 to a partial cultivation11, since he only enfeebles his energies by directing them to a multiplicity of objects. But we see the fallacy of such a conclusion when we reflect, that man has it in his power to avoid this one-sideness, by striving to unite the separate faculties12 of his nature, often singly exercised; by bringing into spontaneous co-operation, at each period of his life, the gleams of activity about to expire, and those which the future alone will kindle13 into living effulgence14; and endeavouring to increase and diversify15 the powers with which he works, by harmoniously16 combining them, instead of looking for a mere17 variety of objects for their separate exercise. That which is effected, in the case of the individual, by the union of the past and future with the present, is produced in society by the mutual18 co-operation of its different single members; for, in all the stages of his existence, each individual can exhibit but one of those perfections only, which represent the possible features of human character. It is through such social union, therefore, as is based on the internal wants and capacities of its members, that each is enabled to participate in the rich collective resources of all the others. The experience of all, even the rudest, nations, furnishes us an example of a union thus formative of individual character, in the union of the sexes. And, although in this case the expression, as well of the difference as of the longing19 for union, appears more marked and striking, it is still no less active in other kinds of association where there is actually no difference of sex; it is only more difficult to discover in these, and may perhaps be more powerful for that very reason. If we were to follow out this idea, it might perhaps conduct us to a clearer insight into the phenomena20 of those unions so much in vogue21 among the ancients, and more especially the Greeks, among whom we find them countenanced22 even by the legislators themselves: I mean those so frequently, but unworthily, classed under the general appellation23 of ordinary love, and sometimes, but always erroneously, designated as mere friendship. The efficiency of all such unions as instruments of cultivation, wholly depends on the degree in which the component24 members can succeed in combining their personal independence with the intimacy25 of the common bond; for whilst, without this intimacy, one individual cannot sufficiently26 possess himself, as it were, of the nature of the others, independence is no less essential, in order that the perceived be assimilated into the being of the perceiver. Now, it is clear (to apply these conclusions to the respective conditions for culture,—freedom, and a variety of situations), that, on the one hand, individual energy is essential to the perceived and perceiver, into which social unions may be resolved; and, on the other, a difference between them, neither so great as to prevent the one from comprehending the other, nor so inconsiderable as to exclude admiration27 for that which the other possesses, and the desire of assimilating it into the perceiver’s character.
This individual vigour28, then, and manifold diversity, combine themselves in originality29; and hence, that on which the consummate30 grandeur31 of our nature ultimately depends,—that towards which every human being must ceaselessly direct his efforts, and on which especially those who design to influence their fellow men must ever keep their eyes, is the Individuality of Power and Development. Just as this individuality springs naturally from the perfect freedom of action, and the greatest diversity in the agents, it tends immediately to produce them in turn. Even inanimate nature, which, proceeding33 in accordance with unchangeable laws, advances by regular grades of progression, appears more individual to the man who has been developed in his individuality. He transports himself, as it were, into the very centre of nature; and it is true, in the highest sense, that each still perceives the beauty and rich abundance of the outer world, in the exact measure in which he is conscious of their existence in his own soul. How much sweeter and closer must this correspondence become between effect and cause,—this reaction between internal feeling and outward perception,—when man is not only passively open to external sensations and impressions, but is himself also an agent!
If we attempt to confirm these principles by a closer application of them to the nature of the individual man, we find that everything which enters into the latter, reduces itself to the two elements of Form and Substance. The purest form, beneath the most delicate veil, we call Idea; the crudest substance, with the most imperfect form, we call sensuous34 Perception. Form springs from the union of substance. The richer and more various the substance that is united, the more sublime35 is the resulting form. A child of the gods is the offspring only of immortal36 parents: and as the blossom swells37 and ripens38 into fruit, and from the tiny germ imbedded in its soft pulp39 the new stalk shoots forth40, laden41 with newly-clustering buds; so does the Form become in turn the substance of a still more exquisite42 Form. The intensity43 of power, moreover, increases in proportion to the greater variety and delicacy44 of the substance; since the internal cohesion45 increases with these. The substance seems as if blended in the form, and the form merged46 in the substance. Or, to speak without metaphor47, the richer a man’s feelings become in ideas, and his ideas in feelings, the more lofty and transcendent his sublimity48; for upon this constant intermingling of form and substance, or of diversity with the individual unity49, depends the perfect interfusion of the two natures which co-exist in man, and upon this, his greatness. But the force of the generation depends upon the energy of the generating forces. The consummating50 point of human existence is the flowering of these forces1 . In the vegetable world, the simple and less graceful51 form of the fruit seems to prefigure the more perfect bloom and symmetry of the flower which it precedes, and which it is destined gradually to unfold. Everything conspires52 to the beautiful consummation of the blossom. That which first shoots forth from the little germ is not nearly so exquisite and fascinating. The full thick trunk, the broad leaves rapidly detaching themselves from each other, seem to require some fuller and fairer development; as the eye glances up the ascending54 stem, it marks the spiring55 grades of this development; more tender leaflets seem longing to unite themselves, and draw closer and closer together, until the central calyx of the crowning flower seems to give the sweet satisfaction to this growing desire2 . But destiny has not blessed the tribe of plants in this the law and process of their growth. The flower fades and dies, and the germ of the fruit reproduces the stem, as rude and unfinished as the former, to ascend53 slowly through the same stages of development as before. But when, in man, the blossom fades away, it is only to give place to another still more exquisitely56 beautiful; and the charm of the last and loveliest is only hidden from our view in the endlessly receding57 vistas58 of an inscrutable eternity59. Now, whatever man receives externally, is only as the grain of seed. It is his own active energy alone that can convert the germ of the fairest growth, into a full and precious blessing60 for himself. It leads to beneficial issues only when it is full of vital power and essentially61 individual. The highest ideal, therefore, of the co-existence of human beings, seems to me to consist in a union in which each strives to develope himself from his own inmost nature, and for his own sake. The requirements of our physical and moral being would, doubtless, bring men together into communities; and even as the conflicts of warfare62 are more honourable63 than the fights of the arena64, and the struggles of exasperated65 citizens more glorious than the hired and unsympathizing efforts of mere mercenaries, so would the exerted powers of such spontaneous agents succeed in eliciting66 the highest and noblest energies.
And is it not exactly this which so unspeakably captivates us in contemplating67 the life of Greece and Rome, and which in general captivates any age whatever in the contemplation of a remoter one? Is it not that these men had harder struggles to endure with the ruthless force of destiny, and harder struggles with their fellow men? that greater and more original energy and individuality constantly encountered each other, and gave rise in the encounter to ever new and beautiful forms? Every later epoch,—and in what a rapid course of declension must this now proceed!—is necessarily inferior in variety to that which it succeeded: in variety of nature,—the boundless68 forests have been cleared, the vast morasses69 dried up; in variety of human life, by the ever-increasing intercommunication and union of all human establishments3 . It is in this we find one of the chief causes which render the idea of the new, the uncommon70, the marvellous, so much more rare,—which make affright or astonishment71 almost a disgrace,—and not only render the discovery of fresh and, till now, unknown expedients72, far less necessary, but also all sudden, unpremeditated and urgent decisions. For, partly, the pressure of outward circumstances is less violent, while man is provided with more ample means for opposing them; partly, this resistance is no longer possible with the simple forces which nature bestows73 on all alike, fit for immediate32 application; and, in fine, partly a higher and more extended knowledge renders inventions less necessary, and the very increase of learning serves to blunt the edge of discovery. It is, on the other hand, undeniable that, whereas physical variety has so vastly declined, it has been succeeded by an infinitely74 richer and more satisfying intellectual and moral variety, and that our superior refinement75 can recognize more delicate differences and gradations, and our disciplined and susceptible76 character, if not so firmly consolidated77 as that of the ancients, can transfer them into the practical conduct of life,—differences and gradations which might have wholly escaped the notice of the sages78 of antiquity79, or at least would have been discernible by them alone. To the human family at large, the same has happened as to the individual: the ruder features have faded away, the finer only have remained. And in view of this sacrifice of energy from generation to generation, we might regard it as a blessed dispensation if the whole human species were as one man; or the living force of one age could be transmitted to the succeeding one, along with its books and inventions. But this is far from being the case. It is true that our refinement possesses a peculiar force of its own, perhaps even surpassing the former in strength, just in proportion to the measure of its refinement; but it is a question whether the prior development, through the more robust80 and vigorous stages, must not always be the antecedent transition. Still, it is certain that the sensuous element in our nature, as it is the earliest germ, is also the most vivid expression of the spiritual.
Whilst this is not the place, however, to enter on the discussion of this point, we are justified81 in concluding, from the other considerations we have urged, that we must at least preserve, with the most eager solicitude82, all the force and individuality we may yet possess, and cherish aught that can tend in any way to promote them.
I therefore deduce, as the natural inference from what has been argued, that reason cannot desire for man any other condition than that in which each individual not only enjoys the most absolute freedom of developing himself by his own energies, in his perfect individuality, but in which external nature even is left unfashioned by any human agency, but only receives the impress given to it by each individual of himself and his own free will, according to the measure of his wants and instincts, and restricted only by the limits of his powers and his rights.
From this principle it seems to me, that Reason must never yield aught save what is absolutely required to preserve it. It must therefore be the basis of every political system, and must especially constitute the starting-point of the inquiry83 which at present claims our attention.
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1
immutable
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| adj.不可改变的，永恒的 | |
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dictates
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| n.命令，规定，要求( dictate的名词复数 )v.大声讲或读( dictate的第三人称单数 )；口授；支配；摆布 | |
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harmonious
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| adj.和睦的，调和的，和谐的，协调的 | |
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thwarted
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| 阻挠( thwart的过去式和过去分词 )； 使受挫折； 挫败； 横过 | |
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imposing
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| adj.使人难忘的，壮丽的，堂皇的，雄伟的 | |
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restrictions
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| 约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则） | |
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peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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perspicuity
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| n.（文体的）明晰 | |
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inevitably
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| adv.不可避免地；必然发生地 | |
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destined
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| adj.命中注定的；(for)以…为目的地的 | |
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cultivation
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| n.耕作，培养，栽培（法），养成 | |
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faculties
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| n.能力( faculty的名词复数 )；全体教职员；技巧；院 | |
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kindle
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| v.点燃，着火 | |
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effulgence
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| n.光辉 | |
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diversify
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| v.（使）不同，（使）变得多样化 | |
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16
harmoniously
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| 和谐地，调和地 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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mutual
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| adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的 | |
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longing
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| n.（for）渴望 | |
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phenomena
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| n.现象 | |
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Vogue
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| n.时髦，时尚；adj.流行的 | |
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countenanced
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| v.支持，赞同，批准( countenance的过去式 ) | |
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appellation
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| n.名称，称呼 | |
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component
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| n.组成部分，成分，元件；adj.组成的，合成的 | |
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intimacy
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| n.熟悉，亲密，密切关系，亲昵的言行 | |
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sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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vigour
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| （=vigor）n.智力，体力，精力 | |
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originality
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| n.创造力，独创性；新颖 | |
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consummate
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| adj.完美的；v.成婚；使完美 [反]baffle | |
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grandeur
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| n.伟大，崇高，宏伟，庄严，豪华 | |
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immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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proceeding
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| n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报 | |
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sensuous
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| adj.激发美感的；感官的，感觉上的 | |
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sublime
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| adj.崇高的，伟大的；极度的，不顾后果的 | |
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immortal
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| adj.不朽的；永生的，不死的；神的 | |
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swells
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| 增强( swell的第三人称单数 )； 肿胀； （使）凸出； 充满（激情） | |
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ripens
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| v.成熟，使熟( ripen的第三人称单数 ) | |
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pulp
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| n.果肉，纸浆；v.化成纸浆，除去...果肉，制成纸浆 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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laden
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| adj.装满了的；充满了的；负了重担的；苦恼的 | |
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exquisite
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| adj.精美的；敏锐的；剧烈的，感觉强烈的 | |
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intensity
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| n.强烈，剧烈；强度；烈度 | |
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delicacy
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| n.精致，细微，微妙，精良；美味，佳肴 | |
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cohesion
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| n.团结，凝结力 | |
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merged
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| （使）混合( merge的过去式和过去分词 )； 相融； 融入； 渐渐消失在某物中 | |
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metaphor
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| n.隐喻，暗喻 | |
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sublimity
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| 崇高，庄严，气质高尚 | |
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unity
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| n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调 | |
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consummating
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| v.使结束( consummate的现在分词 )；使完美；完婚；（婚礼后的）圆房 | |
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51
graceful
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| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
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conspires
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| 密谋( conspire的第三人称单数 )； 搞阴谋； （事件等）巧合； 共同导致 | |
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53
ascend
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| vi.渐渐上升，升高；vt.攀登，登上 | |
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ascending
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| adj.上升的，向上的 | |
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spiring
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| v.（教堂的） 塔尖，尖顶( spire的现在分词 ) | |
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exquisitely
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| adv.精致地；强烈地；剧烈地；异常地 | |
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receding
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| v.逐渐远离( recede的现在分词 )；向后倾斜；自原处后退或避开别人的注视；尤指问题 | |
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vistas
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| 长条形景色( vista的名词复数 )； 回顾； 展望； （未来可能发生的）一系列情景 | |
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eternity
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| n.不朽，来世；永恒，无穷 | |
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blessing
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| n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿 | |
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essentially
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| adv.本质上，实质上，基本上 | |
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warfare
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| n.战争(状态)；斗争；冲突 | |
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honourable
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| adj.可敬的；荣誉的，光荣的 | |
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arena
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| n.竞技场，运动场所；竞争场所，舞台 | |
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exasperated
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| adj.恼怒的 | |
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eliciting
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| n. 诱发, 引出 动词elicit的现在分词形式 | |
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contemplating
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| 深思，细想，仔细考虑( contemplate的现在分词 )； 注视，凝视； 考虑接受（发生某事的可能性）； 深思熟虑，沉思，苦思冥想 | |
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boundless
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| adj.无限的；无边无际的；巨大的 | |
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morasses
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| n.缠作一团( morass的名词复数 )；困境；沼泽；陷阱 | |
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uncommon
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| adj.罕见的，非凡的，不平常的 | |
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astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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expedients
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| n.应急有效的，权宜之计的( expedient的名词复数 ) | |
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bestows
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| 赠给，授予( bestow的第三人称单数 ) | |
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infinitely
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| adv.无限地，无穷地 | |
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refinement
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| n.文雅；高尚；精美；精制；精炼 | |
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susceptible
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| adj.过敏的，敏感的；易动感情的，易受感动的 | |
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consolidated
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| a.联合的 | |
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sages
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| n.圣人( sage的名词复数 )；智者；哲人；鼠尾草（可用作调料） | |
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antiquity
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| n.古老；高龄；古物，古迹 | |
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robust
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| adj.强壮的，强健的，粗野的，需要体力的，浓的 | |
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justified
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| a.正当的，有理的 | |
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solicitude
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| n.焦虑 | |
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inquiry
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| n.打听，询问，调查，查问 | |
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