Herbert SpencerSocial Statics.docx

Herbert SpencerSocial Statics.docx

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HerbertSpencerSocialStatics

HerbertSpencer:

SocialStatics （excerpts）

Introduction

"Giveusaguide,"crymentothephilosopher."Wewouldescapefromthesemiseriesinwhichweareentangled.Abetterstateiseverpresenttoourimaginations,andweyearnafterit;butalloureffortstorealizeitarefruitless.Wearewearyofperpetualfailures;tellusbywhatrulewemayattainourdesire."

"Whateverisexpedientisright;"isoneofthelastofthemanyrepliestothisappeal. 

"True,"rejoinsomeoftheapplicants."WiththeDeity right and expedient aredoubtlessconvertibleterms.Forus,however,thereremainsthequestion–whichistheantecedent,andwhichistheconsequent?

Grantingyourassumptionthat right istheunknownquantityand expediency theknownone,yourformulamaybeserviceable.Butwedenyyourpremises;apainfulexperiencehasprovedthetwotobeequallyindeterminate.Nay,webegintosuspectthatthe right isthemoreeasilyascertainedofthetwo;andthatyourmaximwouldbebetteriftransposedinto–whateverisrightisexpedient." 

"Letyourrulebe,thegreatesthappinesstothegreatestnumber,"interposesanotherauthority. 

"That,liketheother,isnoruleatall,"itisreplied;"butratheranenunciationoftheproblemtobesolved.Itisyour'greatesthappiness'ofwhichwehavebeensolongandsofruitlesslyinsearch;albeitwenevergaveitaname.Youtellusnothingnew;youmerelygivewordstoourwant.Whatyoucallananswer,issimplyourownquestionturnedtherightsideup.Ifthisisyourphilosophyitissurelyempty,foritmerelyechoestheinterrogation." 

"Havealittlepatience,"returnsthemoralist,"andIwillgiveyoumyopinionastothemodeofsecuringthisgreatesthappinesstothegreatestnumber." 

"Thereagain,"exclaimtheobjectors,"youmistakeourrequirement.Wewantsomethingelsethanopinions.Wehavehadenoughofthem.Everyfutileschemeforthegeneralgoodhasbeenbasedonopinion;andwehavenoguaranteethatyourplanwillnotaddonetothelistoffailures.Haveyoudiscoveredameansofforminganinfalliblejudgment?

Ifnot,youare,foraughtwecanperceive,asmuchinthedarkasourselves.True,youhaveobtainedaclearerviewoftheendtobearrivedat;butconcerningtherouteleadingtoit,yourofferofan opinion provesthatyouknownothingmorecertainthanwedo.Wedemurtoyourmaximbecauseitisnotwhatwewanted–aguide;becauseitdictatesnosuremodeofsecuringthedesideratum;becauseitputsnovetouponamistakenpolicy;becauseitpermitsallactions–bad,asreadilyasgood–providedonlytheactors believe themconducivetotheprescribedend.Yourdoctrinesof'expediency'or'utility'or'generalgood'or'greatesthappinesstothegreatestnumber'affordnotasolitarycommandofapracticalcharacter.Letbutrulersthink,orprofesstothink,thattheirmeasureswillbenefitthecommunity,andyourphilosophystandsmuteinthepresenceofthemostegregiousfolly,ortheblackestmisconduct.Thiswillnotdoforus.Weseekasystemthatcanreturnadefiniteanswerwhenweask–'Isthisactgood?

'andnotlikeyours,reply–'Yes,ifitwillbenefityou.'Ifyoucanshowussuchanone–ifyoucangiveusanaxiomfromwhichwemaydevelopesuccessivepropositionsuntilwehavewithmathematicalcertaintysolvedallourdifficulties–wewillthankyou.Ifnot,wemustgoelsewhere."... 

Happinesssignifiesagratifiedstateofallthefaculties.Thegratificationofafacultyisproducedbyitsexercise.Tobeagreeablethatexercisemustbeproportionatetothepowerofthefaculty;ifitisinsufficientdiscontentarises,anditsexcessproducesweariness.Hence,tohavecompletefelicityistohaveallthefacultiesexertedintheratiooftheirseveraldevelopments;andanidealarrangementofcircumstancescalculatedtosecurethisconstitutesthestandardof"greatesthappiness;"butthemindsofnotwoindividualscontainthesamecombinationofelements.Duplicatemenarenottobefound.Thereisineachadifferentbalanceofdesires.Thereforetheconditionsadaptedforthehighestenjoymentofone,wouldnotperfectlycompassthesameendforanyother.Andconsequentlythenotionofhappinessmustvarywiththedispositionandcharacter;thatis,mustvaryindefinitely. 

Wherebywearealsoledtotheinevitableconclusionthatatrueconceptionofwhathumanlifeshouldbe,ispossibleonlytotheidealman.Wemaymakeapproximateestimates,butheonlyinwhomthecomponentfeelingsexistintheirnormalproportionsiscapableofaperfectaspiration.Andastheworldyetcontainsnonesuch,itfollowsthataspecificideaof"greatesthappiness"isforthepresentunattainable.Itisnotthentobewonderedat,ifPaleysandBenthamsmakevainattemptsatadefinition.Thequestioninvolvesoneofthosemysterieswhichmenareevertryingtopenetrateandeverfailing.ItistheinsolubleriddlewhichCare,Sphinx-like,putstoeachnewcomer,andindefaultofanswerdevourshim.AndasyetthereisnoŒdipus,noranysignofone.... 

Evenwerethefundamentalpropositionoftheexpediencysystemnotthusvitiatedbytheindefinitenessofitsterms,itwouldstillbevulnerable.Grantingforthesakeofargument,thatthedesideratum,"greatesthappiness,"isdulycomprehended,itsidentityandnatureagreeduponbyall,andthedirectioninwhichitliessatisfactorilysettled,thereyetremainstheunwarrantedassumptionthatitispossiblefortheself-guidedhumanjudgmenttodetermine,withsomethinglikeprecision,bywhatmethodsitmaybeachieved.Experiencedailyprovesthatjustthesameuncertaintywhichexistsrespectingthespecificendstobeobtained,existslikewiserespectingtherightmodeofattainingthemwhensupposedtobeknown.Intheirattemptstocompassoneafteranothertheseveralitemswhichgotomakeupthegrandtotal,"greatesthappiness,"menhavebeenanythingbutsuccessful;theirmostpromisingmeasureshavingcommonlyturnedoutthegreatestfailures.Letuslookatafewcases. 

WhenitwasenactedinBavariathatnomarriageshouldbeallowedbetweenpartieswithoutcapital,unlesscertainauthoritiescould"seeareasonableprospectofthepartiesbeingabletoprovidefortheirchildren,"itwasdoubtlessintendedtoadvancethepublicwealbycheckingimprovidentunions,andredundantpopulation;apurposemostpoliticianswillconsiderpraiseworthy,andaprovisionwhichmanywillthinkwelladaptedtosecureit.Neverthelessthisapparentlysagaciousmeasurehasbynomeansanswereditsend;thefactbeingthatinMunich,thecapitalofthekingdom,halfthebirthsareillegitimate!

Thosetoowereadmirablemotives,andverycogentreasons,whichledourgovernmenttoestablishanarmedforceonthecoastofAfricaforthesuppressionoftheslavetrade.Whatcouldbemoreessentialtothe"greatesthappiness"thantheannihilationoftheabominabletraffic?

Andhowcouldfortyshipsofwar,supportedbyanexpenditureof£700,000ayear,failtowhollyorpartiallyaccomplishthis?

Theresultshave,however,beenanythingbutsatisfactory.WhentheabolitionistsofEnglandadvocatedit,theylittlethoughtthatsuchameasureinsteadofpreventingwouldonly"aggravatethehorrors,withoutsensiblymitigatingtheextentofthetraffic;"thatitwouldgeneratefast-sailingslaverswithdecksonefootsixinchesapart,suffocationfromclosepacking,miserablediseases,andamortalityofthirty-fivepercent.Theydreamednotthatwhenhardpressedaslavermightthrowawholecargoof500negroesintothesea;northatonablockadedcoastthedisappointedchiefswould,asatGallinas,puttodeath200menandwomen,andsticktheirheadsonpoles,alongshore,insightofthesquadron.Inshort,theyneveranticipatedhavingtopleadastheynowdofortheabandonmentofcoercion.... 

Butwhyciteindividualcases?

Doesnottheexperienceofallnationstestifytothefutilityoftheseempiricalattemptsattheacquisitionofhappiness?

Whatisthestatute-bookbutarecordofsuchunhappyguesses?

orhistorybutanarrativeoftheirunsuccessfulissues?

Andwhatforwarderarewenow?

Isnotourgovernmentasbusystillasthoughtheworkoflaw-makingcommencedbutyesterday?

Hasitmadeanyapparentprogresstowardafinalsettlementofsocialarrangements?

Doesitnotrathereachyearentangleitselfstillfurtherintheweboflegislation,confoundingthealreadyheterogeneousmassofenactmentsintostillgreaterconfusion?

Nearlyeveryparliamentaryproceedingisatacitconfessionofincompetency.Thereisscarcelyabillintroducedbutisentitled"AnActtoamendanAct."The"Whereas"ofalmosteverypreambleheraldsanaccountofthemiscarriageofpreviouslegislation.Alteration,explanation,andrepeal,formthestapleemploymentofeverysession.Allourgreatagitationsarefortheabolitionofinstitutionspurportingtobeforthepublicgood.WitnessthosefortheremovaloftheTestandCorporationActs,forCatholicEmancipation,fortherepealoftheCornLaws;towhichmaynowbeadded,thatfortheseparationofChurchandState.Thehistoryofoneschemeisthehistoryofall.Firstcomesenactment,thenprobation,thenfailure;nextanamendmentandanotherfailure;and,aftermanyalternatetinkeringsandabortivetrials,arrivesatlengthrepeal,followedbythesubstitutionofsomefreshplan,doomedtorunthesamecourse,andsharealikefate. 

Theexpediency-philosophy,however,ignoresthisworldfulloffacts.Thoughmenhavesoconstantlybeenbalkedintheirattemptstosecure,bylegislation,anydesiredconstituentofthatcomplexwhole,"greatesthappiness,"itneverthelesscontinuestoplaceconfidence