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philosophy 4-第1章

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Philosophy 4

A Story of Harvard University



by Owen Wister










I







Two frowning boys sat in their tennis flannels beneath the glare of lamp

and gas。  Their leather belts were loosened; their soft pink shirts

unbuttoned at the collar。  They were listening with gloomy voracity to

the instruction of a third。  They sat at a table bared of its customary

sporting ornaments; and from time to time they questioned; sucked their

pencils; and scrawled vigorous; laconic notes。  Their necks and faces

shone with the bloom of out…of…doors。  Studious concentration was

evidently a painful novelty to their features。  Drops of perspiration

came one by one from their matted hair; and their hands dampened the

paper upon which they wrote。  The windows stood open wide to the May

darkness; but nothing came in save heat and insects; for spring; being

behind time; was making up with a sultry burst at the end; as a delayed

train makes the last few miles high above schedule speed。  Thus it has

been since eight o'clock。  Eleven was daintily striking now。  Its

diminutive sonority might have belonged to some church…bell far distant

across the Cambridge silence; but it was on a shelf in the room;a

timepiece of Gallic design; representing Mephistopheles; who caressed

the world in his lap。  And as the little strokes boomed; eightnine

teneleven; the voice of the instructor steadily continued thus:



〃By starting from the Absolute Intelligence; the chief cravings of the

reason; after unity and spirituality; receive due satisfaction。

Something transcending the Objective becomes possible。  In the Cogito

the relation of subject and object is implied as the primary condition

of all knowledge。  Now; Plato never〃



〃Skip Plato;〃 interrupted one of the boys。  〃You gave us his points

yesterday。〃



〃Yep;〃 assented the other; rattling through the back pages of his notes。

〃Got Plato down cold somewhere;oh; here。  He never caught on to the

subjective; any more than the other Greek bucks。  Go on to the next

chappie。〃



〃If you gentlemen have mastered thethe Grreek bucks;〃 observed the

instructor; with sleek intonation; 〃we〃



〃Yep;〃 said the second tennis boy; running a rapid judicial eye over his

back notes; 〃you've put us on to their curves enough。  Go on。〃



The instructor turned a few pages forward in the thick book of his own

neat type…written notes and then resumed;



〃The self…knowledge of matter in motion。〃



〃Skip it;〃 put in the first tennis boy。



〃We went to those lectures ourselves;〃 explained the second; whirling

through another dishevelled notebook。  〃Oh; yes。  Hobbes and his gang。

There is only one substance; matter; but it doesn't strictly exist。

Bodies exist。  We've got Hobbes。  Go on。〃



The instructor went forward a few pages more in his exhaustive volume。

He had attended all the lectures but three throughout the year; taking

them down in short…hand。  Laryngitis had kept him from those three; to

which however; he had sent a stenographic friend so that the chain was

unbroken。  He now took up the next philosopher on the list; but his

smooth discourse was; after a short while; rudely shaken。  It was the

second tennis boy questioning severely the doctrines imparted。



〃So he says color is all your eye; and shape isn't? and substance

isn't?〃



〃Do you mean he claims;〃 said the first boy; equally resentful; 〃that if

we were all extinguished the world would still be here; only there'd be

no difference between blue and pink; for instance?〃



〃The reason is clear;〃 responded the tutor; blandly。  He adjusted his

eyeglasses; placed their elastic cord behind his ear; and referred to

his notes。  〃It is human sight that distinguishes between colors。  If

human sight be eliminated from the universe; nothing remains to make the

distinction; and consequently there will be none。  Thus also is it with

sounds。  If the universe contains no ear to hear the sound; the sound

has no existence。〃



〃Why?〃 said both the tennis boys at once。



The tutor smiled。  〃Is it not clear;〃 said he; 〃that there can be no

sound if it is not heard!〃



〃No;〃 they both returned; 〃not in the least clear。〃



〃It's clear enough what he's driving at of course; 〃pursued the first

boy。  〃Until the waves of sound or light or what not hit us through our

senses; our brains don't experience the sensations of sound or light or

what not; and so; of course; we can't know about themnot until they

reach us。〃



〃Precisely;〃 said the tutor。  He had a suave and slightly alien accent。



〃Well; just tell me how that proves a thunder…storm in a desert island

makes no noise。〃



〃If a thing is inaudible〃 began the tutor;



〃That's mere juggling!〃 vociferated the boy;〃 That's merely the same

kind of toy…shop brain…trick you gave us out of Greek philosophy

yesterday; They said there was no such thing as motion because at every

instant of time the moving body had to be somewhere; so how could it get

anywhere else?  Good Lord!  I can make up foolishness like that myself。

For instance: A moving body can never stop。  Why?  Why; because at every

instant of time it must be going at a certain rate; so how can it ever

get slower?  Pooh!〃  He stopped。  He had been gesticulating with one

hand; which he now jammed wrathfully into his pocket。



The tutor must have derived great pleasure from his own smile; for he

prolonged and deepened and variously modified it while his shiny little

calculating eyes travelled from one to the other of his ruddy scholars。

He coughed; consulted his notes; and went through all the paces of

superiority。  〃I can find nothing about a body's being unable to stop;〃

said he; gently。  〃If logic makes no appeal to you; gentlemen〃



〃Oh; bunch!〃 exclaimed the second tennis boy; in the slang of his

period; which was the early eighties。  〃Look here。  Color has no

existence outside of our brain … that's the idea?〃



The tutor bowed。



〃And sound hasn't? and smell hasn't? and taste hasn't?〃



The tutor had repeated his little bow after each。



〃And that's because they depend on our senses?  Very well。  But he

claims solidity and shape and distance do exist independently of us。  If

we all died; they'd he here just the same; though the others wouldn't。 A

flower would go on growing; but it would stop smelling。  Very well。 Now

you tell me how we ascertain solidity。  By the touch; don't we? Then; if

there was nobody to touch an object; what then?  Seems to me touch is

just as much of a sense as your nose is。〃 (He meant no personality; but

the first boy choked a giggle as the speaker hotly followed up his

thought。)〃 Seems to me by his reasoning that in a desert island there'd

be nothing it allsmells or shapesnot even an island。 Seems to me

that's what you call logic。〃



The tutor directed his smile at the open window。  〃Berkeley〃 said he。



〃By Jove!〃 said the other boy; not heeding him; 〃and here's another

point: if color is entirely in my brain; why don't that ink…bottle and

this shirt look alike to me?  They ought to。  And why don't a Martini

cocktail and a cup of coffee taste the same to my tongue?〃 〃Berkeley;〃

attempted the tutor; 〃demonstrates〃



〃Do you mean to say;〃 the boy rushed on; 〃that there is no eternal

quality in all these things which when it meets my perceptions compels

me to see differences?〃



The tutor surveyed his notes。  〃I can discover no such suggestions here

as you are pleased to make〃 said he。  〃But your orriginal researches;〃

he continued most obsequiously; 〃recall our next subject;Berkeley and

the Idealists。〃  And he smoothed out his notes。



〃Let's see;〃 said the second boy; pondering; 〃I went to two or three

lectures about that time。  BerkeleyBerkeley。  Didn't heoh; yes!  he

did。  He went the whole hog。  Nothing's anywhere except in your ideas。

You think the table's there; but it isn't。  There isn't any table。〃



The first boy slapped his leg and lighted a cigarette。  〃I remember;〃

said he。  〃Amounts to this: If I were to stop thinking about you; you'd

evaporate。〃



〃Which is balls;〃 observed the second boy; judicially; again in the

slang of his period; 〃and can be proved so。  For you're not always

thinking about me; and I've never evaporated once。〃



The first boy; after a slight wink at the second; addressed the tutor。

〃Supposing you were to happen to forget yourself;〃 said he to that sleek

gentleman; 〃would you evaporate?〃



The tutor turned his little eyes doubtfully upon the tennis boys; but

answered; reciting the language of his notes: 〃The idealistic theory

does not apply to the thinking ego; but to the world of external

phenomena。  The world exists in our conception of it。



〃Then;〃 said the second boy; 〃when a thing is inconceivable?〃



〃It has no existence;〃 replied the tutor; complacently。



〃But a billion dollars is inconceivable;〃 retorted the boy。  〃No mind

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