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on the significance of science and art-第12章

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or of expression) you must deduce a conclusion by analogy as to what
you are; what is your destiny; wherein lies the welfare of yourself
and of other cells like you。  In order to understand yourself; you
must study not only the worms which you see; but microscopic
creatures which you can barely see; and transformations from one set
of creatures into others; which no one has ever beheld; and which
you; most assuredly; will never behold。  And the same with art。
Where there has been true science; art has always been its exponent。

Ever since men have been in existence; they have been in the habit
of deducing; from all pursuits; the expressions of various branches
of learning concerning the destiny and the welfare of man; and the
expression of this knowledge has been art in the strict sense of the
word。

Ever since men have existed; there have been those who were
peculiarly sensitive and responsive to the doctrine regarding the
destiny and welfare of man; who have given expression to their own
and the popular conflict; to the delusions which lead them astray
from their destinies; their sufferings in this conflict; their hopes
in the triumph of good; them despair over the triumph of evil; and
their raptures in the consciousness of the approaching bliss of man;
on viol and tabret; in images and words。  Always; down to the most
recent times; art has served science and life;only then was it
what has been so highly esteemed of men。  But art; in its capacity
of an important human activity; disappeared simultaneously with the
substitution for the genuine science of destiny and welfare; of the
science of any thing you choose to fancy。  Art has existed among all
peoples; and will exist until that which among us is scornfully
called religion has come to be considered the only science。

In our European world; so long as there existed a Church; as the
doctrine of destiny and welfare; and so long as the Church was
regarded as the only true science; art served the Church; and
remained true art:  but as soon as art abandoned the Church; and
began to serve science; while science served whatever came to hand;
art lost its significance。  And notwithstanding the rights claimed
on the score of ancient memories; and of the clumsy assertion which
only proves its loss of its calling; that art serves art; it has
become a trade; providing men with something agreeable; and as such;
it inevitably comes into the category of choreographic; culinary;
hair…dressing; and cosmetic arts; whose practitioners designate
themselves as artists; with the same right as the poets; printers;
and musicians of our day。

Glance backward into the past; and you will see that in the course
of thousands of years; out of milliards of people; only half a score
of Confucius'; Buddhas; Solomons; Socrates; Solons; and Homers have
been produced。  Evidently; they are rarely met with among men; in
spite of the fact that these men have not been selected from a
single caste; but from mankind at large。  Evidently; these true
teachers and artists and learned men; the purveyors of spiritual
nourishment; are rare。  And it is not without reason that mankind
has valued and still values them so highly。

But it now appears; that all these great factors in the science and
art of the past are no longer of use to us。  Nowadays; scientific
and artistic authorities can; in accordance with the law of division
of labor; be turned out by factory methods; and; in one decade; more
great men have been manufactured in art and science; than have ever
been born of such among all nations; since the foundation of the
world。  Nowadays there is a guild of learned men and artists; and
they prepare; by perfected methods; all that spiritual food which
man requires。  And they have prepared so much of it; that it is no
longer necessary to refer to the elder authorities; who have
preceded them;not only to the ancients; but to those much nearer
to us。  All that was the activity of the theological and
metaphysical period;all that must be wiped out:  but the true; the
rational activity began; say; fifty years ago; and in the course of
those fifty years we have made so many great men; that there are
about ten great men to every branch of science。  And there have come
to be so many sciences; that; fortunately; it is easy to make them。
All that is required is to add the Greek word 〃logy〃 to the name;
and force them to conform to a set rubric; and the science is all
complete。  They have created so many sciences; that not only can no
one man know them all; but not a single individual can remember all
the titles of all the existing sciences; the titles alone form a
thick lexicon; and new sciences are manufactured every day。  They
have been manufactured on the pattern of that Finnish teacher who
taught the landed proprietor's children Finnish instead of French。
Every thing has been excellently inculcated; but there is one
objection;that no one except ourselves can understand any thing of
it; and all this is reckoned as utterly useless nonsense。  However;
there is an explanation even for this。  People do not appreciate the
full value of scientific science; because they are under the
influence of the theological period; that profound period when all
the people; both among the Hebrews; and the Chinese; and the
Indians; and the Greeks; understood every thing that their great
teachers said to them。

But; from whatever cause this has come about; the fact remains; that
sciences and arts have always existed among mankind; and; when they
really did exist; they were useful and intelligible to all the
people。  But we practise something which we call science and art;
but it appears that what we do is unnecessary and unintelligible to
man。  And hence; however beautiful may be the things that we
accomplish; we have no right to call them arts and sciences。



CHAPTER VI。



〃But you only furnish a different definition of arts and sciences;
which is stricter; and is incompatible with science;〃 I shall be
told in answer to this; 〃nevertheless; scientific and artistic
activity does still exist。  There are the Galileos; Brunos; Homers;
Michael Angelos; Beethovens; and all the lesser learned men and
artists; who have consecrated their entire lives to the service of
science and art; and who were; and will remain; the benefactors of
mankind。〃

Generally this is what people say; striving to forget that new
principle of the division of labor; on the basis of which science
and art now occupy their privileged position; and on whose basis we
are now enabled to decide without grounds; but by a given standard:
Is there; or is there not; any foundation for that activity which
calls itself science and art; to so magnify itself?

When the Egyptian or the Grecian priests produced their mysteries;
which were unintelligible to any one; and stated concerning these
mysteries that all science and all art were contained in them; I
could not verify the reality of their science on the basis of the
benefit procured by them to the people; because science; according
to their assertions; was supernatural。  But now we all possess a
very simple and clear de
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