第96章

Previous to our historical record what a long history of vegetable and animal existence！ What a succession of flora and fauna！ What generations of marine organisms in forming the strata of sediment！

What generations of plans in forming the deposits of coal！ What transformations of climate to drive the pachydermata away from the pole！ - And now comes Man， the latest of all， he is like the uppermost bud on the top of a tall ancient tree， flourishing there for a while， but， like the tree， destined to perish after a few seasons， when the increasing and foretold congelation allowing the tree to live shall force the tree to die. He is not alone on the branch； beneath him， around him， on a level with him， other buds shoot forth， born of the same sap； but he must not forget， if he would comprehend his own being， that， along with himself， other lives exist in his vicinity， graduated up to him and issuing from the same trunk. If he is unique he is not isolated， being an animal among other animals；[13] in him and with them， substance， organization and birth， the formation and renewal of the functions， senses and appetites， are similar， while his superior intelligence， like their rudimentary intelligence， has for an indispensable organ a nervous matter whose structure is the same with him as with them. - Thus surrounded， brought forth and borne along by nature， is it to be supposed that in nature he is an empire within an empire？ He is there as the part of a whole， by virtue of being a physical body， a chemical composition， an animated organism， a sociable animal， among other bodies， other compositions， other social animals， all analogous to him； and by virtue of these classifications， he is， like them， subject to laws. - For， if the first cause is unknown to us， and we dispute among ourselves to know what it is， whether innate or external， we affirm with certainty the mode of its action， and that it operates only according to fixed and general laws.

Every circumstance， whatever it may be， is conditioned， and， its conditions being given， it never fails to conform to them. Of two links forming a chain， the first always draws on the second. There are laws：

* for numbers， forms， and motions，* for the revolution of the planets and the fall of bodies，* for the diffusion of light and the radiation of heat，* for the attractions and repulsion of electricity，* for chemical combinations， and* for the birth， equilibrium and dissolution of organic bodies.

They exist for the birth， maintenance， and development of human societies， for the formation， conflict， and direction of ideas， passions and determinations of human individuals.[14] In all this， Man is bound up with nature； hence， if we would comprehend him， we must observe him in her， after her， and like her， with the same independence， the same precautions， and in the same spirit. Through this remark alone the method of the moral sciences is fixed. In history， in psychology， in morals， in politics， the thinkers of the preceding century， Pascal， Bossuet， Descartes， Fenelon， Malebrance， and La Bruyère， all based their thoughts on dogma； It is plain to every one qualified to read them that their base is predetermined.

Religion provided them with a complete theory of the moral order of things； according to this theory， latent or exposed， they described Man and accommodated their observations to the preconceived model. The writers of the eighteenth century rejected this method： they dwell on Man， on the observable Man， and on his surroundings； in their eyes， conclusions about the soul， its origin， and its destiny， must come afterwards and depend wholly， not on that which the Revelation provided， but on that which observation does and will provide. The moral sciences are now divorced from theology and attach themselves， as if a prolongation of them， to the physical sciences.

III. THE TRANSFORMATION OF HISTORY.

Voltaire. - Criticism and conceptions of unity. - Montesquieu. - An outline of social laws.

Through the separation from theology and the attachment to natural science the humanities become science. In history， every foundation on which we now build， is laid. Compare Bossuet's "Discours sur l'histoire universelle，" with Voltaire's "Essai sur les m？urs，" and we at once see how new and profound these foundations were. - The critics of religious dogma here establish their fundamental principle：

in view of the fact that the laws of nature are universal and permanent it follows that， in the moral world， as in the physical world， there can be no exception from them， and that no arbitrary or foreign force intervenes to disturb the regular scientific procedures， which will provide a sure means of discerning myth from truth.[15]

Biblical exegesis is born out of this maxim， and not alone that of Voltaire， but also the critical explanatory methods of the future.