God the Known and God the Unknown.docx
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God the Known and God the Unknown.docx
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GodtheKnownandGodtheUnknown
GodtheKnownandGodtheUnknownbySamuelButlerPrefatoryNote"GODtheKnownandGodtheUnknown"firstappearedintheformofaseriesofarticleswhichwerepublishedin"TheExaminer"inMay,June,andJuly,1879.SamuelButlersubsequentlyrevisedthetextofhiswork,presumablywiththeintentionofrepublishingit,thoughhenevercarriedtheintentionintoeffect.InthepresenteditionIhavefollowedhisrevisedversionalmostwithoutdeviation.Ihave,however,retainedafewpassageswhichButlerproposedtoomit,partlybecausetheyappeartometorenderthecourseofhisargumentclearer,andpartlybecausetheycontaincharacteristicthoughtsandexpressionsofwhichnoneofhisadmirerswouldwishtobedeprived.InthelistofButler'sworks"GodtheKnownandGodtheUnknown"follows"LifeandHabit,"whichappearedin1877,and"Evolution,OldandNew,"whichwaspublishedinMay,1879.
Itisscarcelynecessarytopointoutthatthethreeworksarecloselyakininsubjectandtreatment,andthat"GodtheKnownandGodtheUnknown"willgainininterestbybeingconsideredinrelationtoitspredecessors.
R.A.STREATFEILD
------------------------------------------------GodtheKnownandGodtheUnknownBYSAMUELBUTLERCHAPTER1
INTRODUCTION
MANKINDhaseverbeenreadytodiscussmattersintheinverseratiooftheirimportance,sothatthemorecloselyaquestionisfelttotouchtheheartsofallofus,themoreincumbentitisconsidereduponprudentpeopletoprofessthatitdoesnotexist,tofrownitdown,totellittoholditstongue,tomaintainthatithaslongbeenfinallysettled,sothatthereisnownoquestionconcerningit.
Sofar,indeed,hasthisbeencarriedthroughalltimepastthattheactionswhicharemostimportanttous,suchasourpassagethroughtheembryonicstages,thecirculationofourblood,ourrespiration,etc.etc.,havelongbeenformulatedbeyondallpowerofreopeningquestionconcerningthem-themerefactormanneroftheirbeingdoneatallbeingrankedamongthegreatdiscoveriesofrecentages.Yettheanalogyofpastsettlementswouldleadustosupposethatsomuchunanimitywasnotarrivedatallatonce,butratherthatitmusthavebeenprecededbymuchsmouldering[sic]discontent,whichagainwasfollowedbyopenwarfare;andthatevenafterasettlementhadbeenostensiblyarrivedat,therewasstillmuchsecretwantofconvictiononthepartofmanyforseveralgenerations.
Therearemanywhoseenothinginthistendencyofournaturebutoccasionforsarcasm;those,ontheotherhand,whoholdthattheworldisbythistimeoldenoughtobethebestjudgeconcerningthemanagementofitsownaffairswillscrutinise[sic]thismanagementwithsomeclosenessbeforetheyventuretosatirise[sic]it;norwilltheydosoforlongwithoutfindingjustificationforitsapparentrecklessness;forwemustallfearresponsibilityuponmattersaboutwhichwefeelweknowbutlittle;ontheotherhandwemustallcontinuallyact,andforthemostpartpromptly.Wedoso,therefore,withgreatersecuritywhenwecanpersuadebothourselvesandothersthatamatterisalreadypigeon-holedthanifwefeelthatwemustuseourownjudgmentforthecollection,interpretation,andarrangementofthepaperswhichdealwithit.Moreover,ouractionisthusmadetoappearasifitreceivedcollectivesanction;andbysoappearingitreceivesit.Almostanysettlement,again,isfelttobebetterthannone,andthemorenearlyamattercomeshometoeveryone,themoreimportantisitthatitshouldbetreatedasasleepingdog,andbelettolie,forifonepersonbeginstoopenhismouth,fataldevelopmentsmayariseintheBabelthatwillfollow.
Itisnotdifficult,indeed,toshowthat,insteadofhavingreasontocomplainofthedesireforthepostponementofimportantquestions,asthoughtheworldwerecomposedmainlyofknavesorfools,suchfixityasanimalandvegetableformspossessisduetothisveryinstinct.Foriftherehadbeennoreluctance,iftherewerenofrictionandvisinertaetobeencounteredevenafteratheoreticalequilibriumhadbeenupset,weshouldhavehadnofixedorgansnorsettledproclivities,butshouldhavebeendailyandhourlyundergoingProteantransformations,andhavestillbeenthrowingoutpseudopodialiketheamoeba.True,wemighthavecometolikethisfashionoflivingaswellasourmoresteady-goingsystemifwehadtakentoitmanymillionsofagesagowhenwewereyetyoung;butwehavecontractedotherhabitswhichhavebecomesoconfirmedthatwecannotbreakwiththem.Wethereforenowhatethatwhichweshouldperhapshavelovedifwehadpractised[sic]
it.This,however,doesnotaffecttheargument,forourconcerniswithourlikesanddislikes,notwiththemannerinwhichthoselikesanddislikeshavecomeabout.Thediscoverythatorganismiscapableofmodificationatallhasoccasionedsomuchastonishmentthatithastakenthemostenlightenedpartoftheworldmorethanahundredyearstoleaveoffexpressingitscontemptforsuchacrude,shallow,andpreposterousconception.
Perhapsinanotherhundredyearsweshalllearntoadmirethegoodsense,endurance,andthoroughEnglishnessoforganisminhavingbeensoaversetochange,evenmorethanitsversatilityinhavingbeenwillingtochangesomuch.
Nevertheless,howeverconservativewemaybe,andhowevermuchalivetothefollyandwickednessoftamperingwithsettledconvictions-nomatterwhattheyare-withoutsufficientcause,thereisyetsuchaconstantthoughgradualchangeinoursurroundingsasnecessitatescorrespondingmodificationinourideas,desires,andactions.Wemaythinkthatweshouldliketofindourselvesalwaysinthesamesurroundingsasourancestors,sothatwemightbeguidedateverytouchandturnbytheexperienceofourrace,andbesavedfromallself-communingorinterpretationoforacularresponsesutteredbythefactsaroundus.Yetthefactswillchangetheirutterancesinspiteofus;andwe,too,changewithageandagesinspiteofourselves,soastoseethefactsaroundusasperhapsevenmorechangedthantheyactuallyare.Ithasbeensaid,"Temporamutanturnosetmutamurinillis."Thepassagewouldhavebeennolesstrueifithadstood,"Nosmutamurettemporamutanturinnobis."Whethertheorganismorthesurroundingsbeganchangingfirstisamatterofsuchsmallmomentthatthetwomaybelefttofightitoutbetweenthemselves;but,whicheverviewistaken,thefactwillremainthatwhenevertherelationsbetweentheorganismanditssurroundingshavebeenchanged,theorganismmusteithersucceedinputtingthesurroundingsintoharmonywithitself,oritselfintoharmonywiththesurroundings;ormustbemadesouncomfortableastobeunabletorememberitselfassubjectedtoanysuchdifficulties,andthere?
foretodiethroughinabilitytorecognise[sic]itsownidentityfurther.
Underthesecircumstances,organismmustactinoneorotherofthesetwoways:
itmusteitherchangeslowlyandcontinuouslywiththesurroundings,payingcashforeverything,meetingthesmallestchangewithacorrespondingmodificationsofarasisfoundconvenient;oritmustputoffchangeaslongaspossible,andthenmakelargerandmoresweepingchanges.
Boththesecoursesarethesameinprinciple,thedifferencebeingonlyoneofscale,andtheonebeingaminiatureoftheother,asarippleisanAtlanticwaveinlittle;bothhavetheiradvantagesanddisadvantages,sothatmostorganismswilltaketheonecourseforonesetofthingsandtheotherforanother.
Theywilldealpromptlywiththingswhichtheycangetateasily,andwhichliemoreuponthesurface;those,however,whicharemoretroublesometoreach,andliedeeper,willbehandleduponmorecataclysmicprinciples,beingallowedlongerperiodsofreposefollowedbyshortperiodsofgreateractivity.
Animalsbreatheandcirculatetheirbloodbyalittleactionmanytimesaminute;buttheyfeed,someofthem,onlytwoorthreetimesaday,andbreedforthemostpartnotmorethanonceayear,theirbreedingseasonbeingmuchtheirbusiesttime.Itisonthefirstprinciplethatthemodificationofanimalformshasproceededmainly;butitmaybequestionedwhetherwhatiscalledasportisnottheorganicexpressionofdiscontentwhichhasbeenlongfelt,butwhichhasnotbeenattendedto,norbeenmetstepbystepbyasmuchsmallremedialmodificationaswasfoundpracticable:
sothatwhenachangedoescomeitcomesbywayofrevolution.Or,again(onlythatitcomestomuchthesamething),asportmaybecomparedtooneofthosehappythoughtswhichsometimescometousunbiddenafterwehavebeenthinkingforalongtimewhattodo,orhowtoarrangeourideas,andhaveyetbeenunabletoarriveatanyconclusion.
Sowithpolitics,thesmallerthemattertheprompter,asageneralrule,thesettlement;ontheotherhand,themoresweepingthechangethatisfelttobenecessary,thelongeritwillbedeferred.
Theadvantagesofdealingwiththelargerquestionsbymorecataclysmicmethodsareobvious.For,inthefirstplace,allcompositethingsmusthaveasystem,orarrangementofparts,sothatsomepartsshalldependuponandbegroupedroundothers,asinthearticulationofaskeletonandthearrangementofmuscles,nerves,tendons,etc.,whichareattachedtoit.Tomeddlewiththeskeletonisliketakingupthestreet,ortheflooringofone'shouse;itsoupsetsourarrangementsthatweputitofftillwhateverelseisfoundwanted,orwhateverelseseemslikelytobewantedforalongtimehence,canbedoneatthesametime.
Anotheradvantageisintherestwhichisgiventotheattentionduringthelonghollows,sotospeak,ofthewavesbetweenthep
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