what is property-第52章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


　pride　of　station；　and　abjection　of　the　common　people；　and　which　confirms　my　assertion；　concerning　the　principle　of　patrimonial　succession；　that　it　is　a　method　suggested　by　Nature　of　filling　vacancies　in　business；　and　completing　unfinished　tasks。

From　time　to　time；　ambition　caused　usurpers；　or　SUPPLANTERS　of　kings；　to　start　up；　and；　in　consequence；　some　were　called　kings　by　right；　or　legitimate　kings；　and　others　TYRANTS。　　But　we　must　not　let　these　names　deceive　us。　　There　have　been　execrable　kings；　and　very　tolerable　tyrants。　　Royalty　may　always　be　good；　when　it　is　the　only　possible　form　of　government；　legitimate　it　is　never。　　Neither　heredity；　nor　election；　nor　universal　suffrage；　nor　the　excellence　of　the　sovereign；　nor　the　consecration　of　religion　and　of　time；　can　make　royalty　legitimate。　　Whatever　form　it　takes；monarchic；　oligarchic；　or　democratic；royalty；　or　the　government　of　man　by　man；　is　illegitimate　and　absurd。

Man；　in　order　to　procure　as　speedily　as　possible　the　most　thorough　satisfaction　of　his　wants；　seeks　RULE。　　In　the　beginning；　this　rule　is　to　him　living；　visible；　and　tangible。　　It　is　his　father；　his　master；　his　king。　　The　more　ignorant　man　is；　the　more　obedient　he　is；　and　the　more　absolute　is　his　confidence　in　his　guide。　　But；　it　being　a　law　of　man's　nature　to　conform　to　rule；that　is；　to　discover　it　by　his　powers　of　reflection　and　reason；man　reasons　upon　the　commands　of　his　chiefs。　　Now；　such　reasoning　as　that　is　a　protest　against　authority；a　beginning　of　disobedience。　　At　the　moment　that　man　inquires　into　the　motives　which　govern　the　will　of　his　sovereign；at　that　moment　man　revolts。　　If　he　obeys　no　longer　because　the　king　commands；　but　because　the　king　demonstrates　the　wisdom　of　his　commands；　it　may　be　said　that　henceforth　he　will　recognize　no　authority；　and　that　he　has　become　his　own　king。　　Unhappy　he　who　shall　dare　to　command　him；　and　shall　offer；　as　his　authority；　only　the　vote　of　the　majority；　for；　sooner　or　later；　the　minority　will　become　the　majority；　and　this　imprudent　despot　will　be　overthrown；　and　all　his　laws　annihilated。

In　proportion　as　society　becomes　enlightened；　royal　authority　diminishes。　　That　is　a　fact　to　which　all　history　bears　witness。　　At　the　birth　of　nations；　men　reflect　and　reason　in　vain。　　Without　methods；　without　principles；　not　knowing　how　to　use　their　reason；　they　cannot　judge　of　the　justice　of　their　conclusions。　　Then　the　authority　of　kings　is　immense；　no　knowledge　having　been　acquired　with　which　to　contradict　it。　　But；　little　by　little；　experience　produces　habits；　which　develop　into　customs；　then　the　customs　are　formulated　in　maxims；　laid　down　as　principles；in　short；　transformed　into　laws；　to　which　the　king；　the　living　law；　has　to　bow。　　There　comes　a　time　when　customs　and　laws　are　so　numerous　that　the　will　of　the　prince　is；　so　to　speak；　entwined　by　the　public　will；　and　that；　on　taking　the　crown；　he　is　obliged　to　swear　that　he　will　govern　in　conformity　with　established　customs　and　usages；　and　that　he　is　but　the　executive　power　of　a　society　whose　laws　are　made　independently　of　him。

Up　to　this　point；　all　is　done　instinctively；　and；　as　it　were；　unconsciously；　but　see　where　this　movement　must　end。

By　means　of　self…instruction　and　the　acquisition　of　ideas；　man　finally　acquires　the　idea　of　SCIENCE；that　is；　of　a　system　of　knowledge　in　harmony　with　the　reality　of　things；　and　inferred　from　observation。　　He　searches　for　the　science；　or　the　system；　of　inanimate　bodies；the　system　of　organic　bodies；　the　system　of　the　human　mind；　and　the　system　of　the　universe：　why　should　he　not　also　search　for　the　system　of　society？　　But；　having　reached　this　height；　he　comprehends　that　political　truth；　or　the　science　of　politics；　exists　quite　independently　of　the　will　of　sovereigns；　the　opinion　of　majorities；　and　popular　beliefs；that　kings；　ministers；　magistrates；　and　nations；　as　wills；　have　no　connection　with　the　science；　and　are　worthy　of　no　consideration。　　He　comprehends；　at　the　same　time；　that；　if　man　is　born　a　sociable　being；　the　authority　of　his　father　over　him　ceases　on　the　day　when；　his　mind　being　formed　and　his　education　finished；　he　becomes　the　associate　of　his　father；　that　his　true　chief　and　his　king　is　the　demonstrated　truth；　that　politics　is　a　science；　not　a　stratagem；　and　that　the　function　of　the　legislator　is　reduced；　in　the　last　analysis；　to　the　methodical　search　for　truth。

Thus；　in　a　given　society；　the　authority　of　man　over　man　is　inversely　proportional　to　the　stage　of　intellectual　development　which　that　society　has　reached；　and　the　probable　duration　of　that　authority　can　be　calculated　from　the　more　or　less　general　desire　for　a　true　government；that　is；　for　a　scientific　government。　　And　just　as　the　right　of　force　and　the　right　of　artifice　retreat　before　the　steady　advance　of　justice；　and　must　finally　be　extinguished　in　equality；　so　the　sovereignty　of　the　will　yields　to　the　sovereignty　of　the　reason；　and　must　at　last　be　lost　in　scientific　socialism。　　Property　and　royalty　have　been　crumbling　to　pieces　ever　since　the　world　began。　　As　man　seeks　justice　in　equality；　so　society　seeks　order　in　anarchy。

ANARCHY；the　absence　of　a　master；　of　a　sovereign；＇1＇such　is　the　form　of　government　to　which　we　are　every　day　approximating；　and　which　our　accustomed　habit　of　taking　man　for　our　rule；　and　his　will　for　law；　leads　us　to　regard　as　the　height　of　disorder　and　the　expression　of　chaos。　　The　story　is　told；　that　a　citizen　of　Paris　in　the　seventeenth　century　having　heard　it　said　that　in　Venice　there　was　no　king；　the　good　man　could　not　recover　from　his　astonishment；　and　nearly　died　from　laughter　at　the　mere　mention　of　so　ridiculous　a　thing。　　So　strong　is　our　prejudice。　　As　long　as　we　live；　we　want　a　chief　or　chiefs；　and　at　this　very　moment　I　hold　in　my　hand　a　brochure；　whose　authora　zealous　communist　dreams；　like　a　second　Marat；　of　the　dictatorship。　　The　most　advanced　among　us　are　those　who　wish　the　greatest　possible　number　of　sovereigns；their　most　ardent　wish　is　for　the　royalty　of　the　National　Guard。　　Soon；　undoubtedly；　some　one；　jealous　of　the　citizen　militia；　will　say；　〃Everybody　is　king。〃　　But；　when　he　has　spoken；　I　will　say；　in　my　turn；　〃Nobody　is　king；　we　are；　whether　we　will　or　no；　associated。〃　　Every　question　of　domestic　politics　must　be　decided　by　departmental　statistics；　every　question　of　foreign　politics　is　an　affair　of　international　statistics。　　The　science　of　government　rightly　belongs　to　one　of　the　sections　of　the　Academy　of　Sciences；　whose　permanent　secretary　is　necessarily　prime　minister；　and；　since　every　citizen　may　address　a　memoir　to　the　Academy；　every　citizen　is　a　legislator。　　But；　as　the　opinion　of　no　one　is　of　any　value　until　its　truth　has　been　proven；　no　one　can　substitute　his　will　for　reason；nobody　is　king。

＇1＇　　The　meaning　ordinarily　attached　to　the　word　〃anarchy〃　is　absence　of　principle；　absence　of　rule；　consequently；　it　has　been　regarded　as　synonymous　with　〃disorder。〃




All　questions　of　legislation　and　politics　are　matters　of　science；　not　of　opinion。　　The　legislative　power　belongs　only　to　the　reason；　methodically　recognized　and　demonstrated。　　To　attribute　to　any　power　whatever　the　right　of　veto　or　of　sanction；　is　the　last　degree　of　tyranny。　　Justice　and　legality　are　two　things　as　independent　of　our　approval　as　is　mathematical　truth。　　To　compel；　they　need　only　to　be　known；　to　be　known；　they　need　only　to　be　considered　and　studied。　　What；　then；　is　the　nation；　if　it　is　not　the　sovereign；if　it　is　not　the　source　of　the　legislative　power？

The　nation　is　the　guardian　of　the　lawthe　nation　is　the　EXECUTIVE　POWER。　　Every　citizen　may　assert：　　〃This　is　true；　that　is　just；　〃but　his　opinion　controls　no　one　but　himself。　　That　the　truth　which　he　proclaims　may　become　a　law；　it　must　be　recognized。　　Now；　what　is　it　to　recognize　a　law？　　It　is　to　verify　a　mathematical　or　a　metaphysical　calculation；　it　is　to　repeat　an　experiment；　to　observe　a　phenomenon；　to　establish　a　fact。　　Only　the　nation　has　the　right　to　say；　〃Be　it　known　and　decreed。〃

I　confess　that　this　is　an　overturning　of　received　ideas；　and　that　I　seem　to　be　attempting　to　revolutionize　our　political　system；　but　I　beg　the　reader　to　consider　that；　having　begun　with　a　paradox；　I　must；　if　I　reason　correctly；　meet　with　paradoxes　at　every　step；　and　must　end　with　paradoxes。　　For　the　rest；　I　do　not　see　how　the　liberty　of　citizens　would　be　endangered　by　entrusting　to　their　hands；　instead　of　the　pen　of　the　legislator；　the　sword　of　the　law。　　The　executive　power；　belonging　properly　to　the　will；　cannot　be　confided　to　too　many　proxies。　　That　is　the　true　sovereignty　of　the　nation。＇1＇

＇1＇　　If　such　ideas　are　ever　forced　into　the　minds　of　the　people；　it　will　be　by　representative　government　and　the　tyranny　of　talkers。　　Once　science；　thought；　and　speech　were　characterized　by　the　same　expression。　　To　designate　a　thoughtful　and　a　learned　man；　they　said；　〃a　man　quick　to　speak　and　powerful　in　discourse。　　〃For　a　long　time；　speech　has　been　abstractly　distinguished　from　science　and　reason。　　Gradually；　this　abstraction　is　becoming　realized；　as　the　logicians　say；　in　society；　so　that　we　have　to…　day　savants　of　many　kinds　who　talk　but　little；　and　TALKERS　who　are　not　even　savants　in　the　science　of　speech。　　Thus　a　philosopher　is　no　longer　a　savant：　he　is　a　talker。　　Legislators　and　poets　were　once　profound　and　sublime　characters：　now　they　are　talkers。　　A　talker　is　a　sonorous　bell；　whom　the　least　shock　suffices　to　set　in　perpetual　motion。　　With　the　talker；　the　flow　of　speech　is　always　directly　proportional　to　the　poverty　of　thought。　　Talkers　govern　the　world；　they　stun　us；　they　bore　us；　they　worry　us；　they　suck　our　blood；　and　laugh　at　us。　　As　for　the　savants；　they　keep　silence：　if　they　wish　to　say　a　word；　they　are　cut　short。　　Let　them　write。




The　proprietor；　the　robber；　the　hero；　the　sovereignfor　all　these　titles　are　synonymousimposes　his　will　as　law；　and　suffers　neither　contradiction　nor　control；　that　is；　he　pretends　to　be　the　legislative　and　the　executive　power　at　once。　　Accordingly；　the　substitution　of　the　scientific　and　true　law　for　the　royal　will　is　accomplished　only　by　a　terrible　struggle；　and　this　constant　substitution　is；　after　property；　the　most　potent　element　in　history；　the　most　prolific　source　of　political　disturbances。　　Examples　are　too　numerous　and　too　striking　to　require　enumeration。

Now；　property　necessarily　engenders　despotism；the　government　of　caprice；　the　reign　of　libidinous　pleasure。　　That　is　so　clearly　the　essence　of　property　that；　to　be　convinced　of　it；　one　need　but　remember　what　it　is；　and　observe　what　happens　around　him。　　Property　is　the　right　to　USE　and　ABUSE。　　If；　then；　government　is　economy；if　its　object　is　production　and　consumption；　and　the　distribution　of　labor　and　products；how　is　government　possible　while　property　exists？　　And　if　goods　are　property；　why　should　not　the　proprietors　be　kings；　and　despotic　kingskings　in　proportion　to　their　_facultes　bonitaires_？　　And　if　each　proprietor　is　sovereign　lord　within　the　sphere　of　his　property；　absolute　king　throughout　his　own　domain；　how　could　a　government　of　proprietors　be　any　thing　but　chaos　and　confusion？


％　3。Determination　of　the　third　form　of　Society。　　Conclusion。


Then；　no　government；　no　public　economy；　no　administration；　is　possible；　which　is　based　upon　property。

Communis