jeremy campbell - the liars tale a history of falsehood.pdf

8/17/2019 Jeremy Campbell - The Liars Tale A History of Falsehood.pdf

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A HITY F FALEH

1h£ r's 1ai£

JEREMY CAMPBELL

WWOO & O

ok ondon


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Copyrgh © 2001 by Jeremy Cmpbell

l ghts reeedPinted in te United States of AeicaFirst pubshed Noron pperbck 2002

Excerpt on pge 54-55: Reprned by peron o he publher nd he Tutee of he

Loeb Clc br omPl Vl oeb Clc Lbry Volume L65, trled byW. R. Lamb, Cabrdge M Had nversy ess, 92 The oeb Clsc Lib ®is a registeed tadeak o te esdent and Feows of Had Coege.

or noton ou permison to reproduce selectons rom h book, wre o erssons, W. W. Noton Compy Inc. 500 h venue New York 10110

Te ext o h book s compoed n Legacy Ser

wit te dispay set in Gody Tet and Aveni BackCopostion by Se Casonuacurng by Quebecor reldBook desgn by Cloe Stubroducton age Jul Dsn

Lib of Congess Cataoginginbication aa

CampbelJerey 1931

The lar' e a sto o ehood / by Jeremy Cmpbell.p cm.

ncdes bibliogapic reeences d ind.SBN 0393025594

1 Thlness and lehoodso Te

B1421 C35 20011 3dc21

2001030286

W W. Noron & Copany nc 500 h Avenue New ork N. 10110noroncom

W. W. Noton Copany d, Csle Houe7/76 Wes Steet, ondon WT QT

2 3 5 678 9 0


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For Judith and Robert Martin.

Good companions and good times,

in magical places


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(trts

g

Introduction 11

The Horrid Doubt 17

The Evoluton of Cunning

Enter the Logos 4

The Absolute Talker 5

The Double Truth 74

TheImp of Falsehood

1

The Suicidal Tendencies of Reason

nterlude: The Simple Truth 11

TheInner Light 17

Truth at Arm's Length 141

The Pleasures of Falsehood 157

1

A Cloak for Qute Dierent mpulses 7

Curing by Fction 1

Pretty, Shining Les

A Life ofIts Own

Playing the Truth Game 5

Ging Truth a Bad Name 5


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guge Md Me Do 266 A Ce Kd o Mdess 285

Good Beg Hu 32

oes 315

d 45


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H IA A


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�todu[tio

Kai Fami Fouo rod ha rou g mig am o iura omai i orr o ur a mbumfor ram h iia bli o b a A mo iabli ha uh ig dd o our ubard ar wou b roubau iuran omai ar o loa o aro i ram.

-he New eplc

May ago of ro whih ar mli ai oroi or

ag ar hl o lgal a'' [ilig] lial hlaw ha imfa ha ar o

-Leg ef ed y Pesde Cnons wys o ommee he Aks peme which ecmmeded h hee dsed "ses mcod

P A R O F V R S S S F A K A

ugly demonstration of hate hanging a black doll from a

noose in a tree The studens are black Their fabricaion

is exosed neverheess, i is hough worthwhie a a

means of highlighting the issue of race reaions on cmus One

way of looking at the incident is to call it a piece of theaer a drama-tizaion of something that migh have happened; d in ll forms

of art he ction seems more signican more importan even more

oy o ife, h mere fac The frauduence of the ho is a pey

consideraion aongside is arger inten o highight a iece of socia

inustice.

Alteatively, one could call it a barefaced lie.

ollege authorities tend o take the view hat citious drati-

zaions mquerading ln fact are more effecive hn ruh in

oing the universiy body ino facing up to mgnncies in heir

midst. Fasehood in a good cause h a vaue that reiy lacks.

There are things much more imortant han civiliy A poliiclournalis quotes this statement with aproval lamenting he fact

that a revival of polieness undermines radica forms of ani

estabishmen dissent. Good mnners, he thinks are a kind of men

1 1


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Jnuon

dacty a vhcl of fashood a thatr of oratons to conca th

wrongdong of thos n owr Smlary t s a crng sumton

at th start of a nw mllnnum that thr ar thngs mor mor-tant than truth.

In tsl ths s nothng nw. Socrats wa told much twntyv

cnturs ago by a man of th thatr. But th da that truth s a

gmy a mdgt a dullard and a bor n contrast to th scntlatng

and traordnary nvntons of falshood s mor fhonabl now

than t ha vr bn.

Davd Stoll a rofssor at Mddlburg Collg amnd an auto

bograhcal account of th cv war n uatmala by Rgobrta

Mnchu who won th Nob Pac Pr n 99 socal dmocrat

wth no artcular to grnd Stoll lstd an mrssv numbr of

aggratons and fshoods n th book. brothr th author sadsh saw starv to dath s actually alv and wll n uatmaa. Hr

dcton of chldhood ovrty and lltracy comorts oorly wth

th fact that sh attndd two rvat boardng schoos. Yt acad-

mcs of hgh rut wr furous wth Stoll for uttng obstacls n

th ath of justc for th orssd and sstng th c of U.S

mralsm. Whthr hr book s tru or not dont car wrotWllsly Colg rofssor Maror gosn W shoud tach our

studnts about th brutalty of th uatmal army and th US

nancng of t h Nobl Pr Commtt also c to th rscu:

ll autobograhs mbllsh to a gratr or ssr tnt. Th

author of a bograhy of Ronad Ragan bad by th oaqu sur-

fac of hs usv subjct rlng undr th bana and trt matrals

of th rsdntal dars nvnts a ctonal narrator as a way of ro-

vdng th human dra th rodgalty of manngs that bar

facts ar unab to suy

To rfus to mblsh s to ru out ossbts whch ar th

sourc of nw manngs. Four cnturs ago Montagn wrot thatwhl thr ar an nnt numbr of falshoods thr s only on

ruth Whn art taks hod of hstory t may rarrang t n ordr to

lbrat da mor llumnatng than thos lf grudgngly dsns-

s nw dramatc gnr thatr as mtabograhy uts Frud n

a room wth Salvador D and has Orson Wls convrs wth


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Vivien eigh. Though these encountes may have taken lace unde

othe cicumstances acts can always do with a little imoving n

metaiogahy we ae tod lives ae tansomed astacted andmythoogised in usuit o moe essentia tuths"

Psychoanalysis w ased on the idea that alsehood and illusion

ae useul clues to undestanding the mystey o human esonality.

Feud took with many a inch o salt what his atients told him

unde the heading o unvanished act ut he held the view that lies

ae oten moe inomative than liteal tuths. In an odd way they

ae ivileged inomation

The emegence o modenism a movement that lted o moe

than hal a centu coincided with a time o widesead disiusion

with olitical action. Modenism tended to ize the ats as suei

o to the sciences what is moe the ats asied to be at least theequal o the Philistine wold o olitics and commece in thei owe

to emake society Modeism was a lineal descendant o the at o

at's sake cult o the late Victoian ea one o whose actitiones

alte Pate taked about aesthetic tuth" a new sot o veacity t

o a wod o civilized atice a wod whee the given tuths o

natue ecede and the inventions o cutue equie us to seach otuth by an entiely dieent oute Picaso waed this thought in

a amous aado: t is the lie that makes us ealze the tuth."

In the modenist novel lies and lias olieate eecting a dee

susicion o the vaue o tth in its lite ublic om Oscuity

becomes a tademak o modenist witing a device that obliteates

the easy attunement between the mind o the autho and that o theeade and endes susect the notion that tuth is singe o sime

that it can e communicated at a though the susect vehice o

language o even that it is desiable to do so

ate twentiethcentuy intellectu ashion caies these tenden-

cies to egegious etemes. shit o emhis om tuth to me-

ing in lay since the eighteenth centuy acquies antastic new

dimensions t o at's sake becomes language o the sake o lan-

guage which is now the chie ocus even the osession o hiloso-

hy. anguage ecomes a centiuge thowing out untetheed

meanings. t oses its connection with ogic whee a oosition is


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eher rue or fae Word do no refer o hng, or o e on

e, bu ony o oher word. The dea e hod ha guage

no rary ounaon, ha reaherou o he nen-on of he auhor, o ha roe a a vehe of nery and h

faay oroed Deonon he erary u of o-

ode a fo of oe readng whh ee anguage a una

be o he ore, rven by ne on breakng u no ayer of

eng ha never ernae; eanng oehng ha e

, overow, ee, fro one ex no a rofuon of oher

One auhor one nereaon no enough o a our era

aee for obe refeene for he new and urrng

over he faar and obvou Roger Shauk argue ha wha he

a he Deon of Orgnay deand naaby an ende u-

y of nereng on In he Mdde Age he word orgna"ean ha oehng had exed fro he begnnng bu n he

egheenh enury ook on he ene of ong no exene for

he r e of beng enrey dferen fro anyhng ha wen

before An orgna eron w bzarre exravagan. Today he need

for he new o nene a o foer a dere o annhae everyhng

ha no new. Phooher a for an end o hoohy. on-oune he nruen Ren Deae rued o deve ruh by

ubrang obe, now an obruon, an eden The

oodern hnker Roand Barhe d ha ony aboue new

ne" gve h fu afaon beaue weaken onoune

era heng ay even be a yo of ena nadequa

c a na defe, a anfeaon of he abnora. Au hdren urn ou are handaed by an naby o e o reend

and onea. au hd ak a heory of nd" by e of

whh heahy hdren are abe o arbue eran beef and

dere o oher eoe, and hu rk he no fae beef There

a referene for aene an averon o novey an avodane of

dfferene. Paren oee fee a dn ene of reef when

her au hd, oeen n oher ree e h r u

y e n h een

The hee of h book ha, for beer or wore, yng, unruh

no ara devan, or denabe feaure of fe Naure


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j( 5

egages , somemes wh remarkable geuy. r, wh s

ellg of beauful urue hgs, h a mes so domaed he

md of a perod hkers ould serously argue ha lfe may bedersood ruhfully oly aeshe erms he mpulse o ra-

se mere era fa ours hroughou aure. Que humbe bo

logal orgasms evolve a semble, als; a por rederg

of some oher less vulerable orgasm Mgh we o say for exam-

ple ha spees of Cyloptera ses ha resemble leaves rompe

doel maserpees whh mgh have bee paed by a seveeeh-

eury uh mer, perfe oor, shape, ad se, eve om

plee wh mao ves ad fugus spos, are works of ar?

I s a seduve hypohess ha fsehood s o he sde of lfe"

s he lubra ha makes soey ru, whle ruh a be harsh,

dagerous ad desruve; oo smple oo aked, for he omplex-es of weyrseury soey, heror of oe of he mos bu

a hudre years he hso of mkd o suve suh a

soey, hum begs have evolved, Nhol Humphreys phrase

bor psyhologss," aural mdreaders, whose sghs o

he houghs of ohers eable hem boh o ease her fears ad o

mpuae hose oher ms wh he subes ks of eepohe rse of evouoary psyhoogy he beef he urave pow-

ers of o he ee o aep wha ough o be rue f were

rue have all orbued o a almos upreedeed olere of

falsehood.

Fredrh Neshe alled he world ruel, oradory ms

eag, a seseess, a oue ha we need es orer o vewh suh an abhorre rey ha lyg s a eessy of lfe s par

of he errg ad problema haraer of esee. We have

ome full rle from he ae hess ha ruh ad goodess are

separable ws. he oo embeded our ulural audes s

ha humany wou ever have saye he grueg ourse o s pre

se hgh plae o he evoluoary aer o a e as h mea

ger he ruh We seree from wh ourselves," wroe George

Seer, he grammar he myhologes of hope of fay of self

deepo whou whh we would have bee arresed a some rug

of prmae behavor or wou og se have esroye ouseves."


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nuon

Th rony of cours s that lying cannot ho to succd n its a

unlss tth s th noal ractc of a socty n th nntnth cn

tuy th was a sns that docacy o than oth fos of go-nmnt ndd tuthfunss if it was to incas and oush that

mndacity in a oitician was mo to b dod th y oth cat

goy of offns. Th cons of that iw is that in a syst which

daws uch of its strngth fom cdor is a a th mo c-

t all th o nsidious Fo that ason so this agunt gos

thy wll nr b rod fro our ty of docratic countyBut f lyng bcos th nor on th thsis that t softns th cru-

lty of l t dfats ts own uros. Truth ght thn bco

or owrful than untruth n Gog Orwlls buraucratc

nghtmar 9 whr a son who dard to sak th truth was

so dangrous to th stat as to b n ugnt nd of liudaton


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C H A R O

hr lod Boubt

I a We ehc and heolo puor he exiene of oe eau eoe o ben oh and ho and al are alway he be pohow are we o pn he oence a ubiquioune of ehne anddecepon -mil enzel

A R A A R ? A B R A R O V O C A

tve oenng. Yet Charles Darwn dededly not a

rovoatve erson y temerament or nnaton, sg

=gested t mght e he when tryng to nderstand

how natre kees the enterrse o e n sness and engneers hernew and wonder rodtons to thnk o her, not as the emod

ment o a Creator's truth, ut artly nsnere a harorng a

roensty or heatng

Evoluton theory an aommodate the dea o ooeraton n

whh lke tells the tth to lke, ut t must also ae u to the harsh

er ats o ometton where rules o ar lay d honesty need notaly, or o atual war, n whh raud s a ostve aset The sder

s not olged to wa ts nset vtms o ossle health haards

they make ontat wth ts we nor need the ox eel adly aot

shammng dead when t s really very muh alve, and hungry When

wnnng s the mortant ator deetulness s a knd o eth

small les servng natures larger trth the grandeur" that Darwnsaw when rom the war o natre, rom amne and death, the most

exated oet whh we are aae o onevng, namey the ro

dton o the hgher anmas, drety oows."

7


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8 H R T

n he wrld f life even frly primiive life Darwin recnized

ha falsehds and chicanery are par f he ame f suival Wri-

in in he Deent f Man he cmmended s admirabe a paper byhe enmis Henry Waer Baes n mimicry in naure pub-

ished in 82 Baes ha accmpied red Waace he cs

cverer f evuin n his rs rip Suh merca makin a

speci sudy f he brihy clred insecs f he mn fress

he paper Darwn sd hrew a d f lih n many bscure

prblems ivin new suppr his hery f naural selecinMimicry in eec was a preense a frm f yin a means f ainin

a ede n survival by deceivin predars he real characer

f heir penial vicims huh f curse n inellience wuld be

invlved Darwin w sruck by he marvelusy decepive appear

ance f cerain bueries bserved by Baes which imiae hemarkins f he Heline a species which precs iself by secre-

in a nxius subsce disusin predars he sripes and

shades f clr n he wins f he impersnars are aminly

realisic freries resemblin hse f he Helindae s clsey hany a experienced enmis ike Baes cd e hem apar

huh perfecy ebe hey dupe birds in avidin hem underhe miscncepin ha hey are hruhy unappeizin

heain seen an evuinary sraey heped Darwin sve

he puzzle f why sme me bueries f he rder f he Leplehave wins f which he upper half is a pure whie while he res is

barred wih back red d yellw in imiain f anher species

he answer is ha his buery usualy hides he whie pach by cverin i wih he upper wn excep when i is curin a female wh

nds he enuine markins f her rder mre allurin ha he

spurius nes prclaimin he me be smehin he is n

dapain he cndiins f life which Darwins hereici-

philspher clleaue Herber Spencer cnsidered basic all ehi

cal prress c and des invlve decepin ha is a majr heme

f evluinary sudies day ern species urishin nw mih

be exinc if hey had depended n ruhfulness increse and mul-

iply Mck shws are p f evluin's sck in rade Orchi

mimic he lk f femae insecs and hus invie plinain by


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oub 9

mles. e lyhers muere helors y keepg me

sere ple herey seug ususpeg femles o sup

posg hem sgle n herefore me mer There s roplsh lle ley oee rkser whh mpersoes sh

kow s leers hese perform serve o lrger sh y removg

prses from her oes The rue leer he hos sh re

e o eh oher pr of rl seleo The mposor

ops vv srpes o he ler surfes of s oy resemlg he

leer. Lurkg he reves of roks oes o le pssg

sh u se rps off pees of her esh

Cukoos ly eggs h mm hose of he br o whose es hey

gerh. A ree wrler wll ep urure gree egg pl

e here y ukoo whh spees foolg suh hos o

provg free ommoo moherg; meow pp ske y rown n spoe oes. gres l he hks h

hh from hese ouerfe eggs promply hrow he geue

eggs ou of he es. Whe fully ege hey mke off whou so

muh hk you o o memers of her ow spees hey hve

ohg furher t o wh he hos pres, who ever umle o he

f h hey hve ee upe.Que reely h ee fou h er geus of eele

Pllobaenus h fou wy o rk pl o feeg prvlege prevously hough y bologss o e resee exlusvely for

sgle spees of Pheole bos The s rese se he smlropl ree of he geus Pper whh proves hem wh foo

sheler The se surfe of he ree proues foo whh s ken gve o her lrve. The foo ppers oly whe Pheole s re resee sppers whe hey re se. s s f hese pre

ferre guess possess oe sor of memershp umer whh

uloks he soure of ourshme There s goo reso why hey

re persona a. They prove her hos wh foo he form ofe s mprove he helh of he pl y seppg up he

mou of ro oxe. Somehow o oe kows exly how he

rkser eeles hve fou wy o rek he oe h ms ns

o he fe They hve sole he memershp umer my free-

lo wll f oes, hey smply rush s he. Suh ppre


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0 H L T

iation! And thy do nothing to rturn hospitality to th plant thy

hav invigld.

Fraud may b th rason why som animal bhavior is mor omplx than it would othrwis b. Th volution of surprisingly intri

at ommuniations among Amri ris sms to b th

rsult of hroni dption. Firis h in distint pattrns to

attrat a suitabl mat Eah spis h its o uniqu od. Crtain

rlis hav bom spialists in imitating th signals of othrs so

to pry on thm Th typial sxual ommuniation squn isan xhg of ashs btwn a ying mal and a prhd fmal

and is so simpl it an b opid by a human arryng a ashlight.

Othrs ar highly omplx. Most intriat of al is th lahing of th

rly Photus whos fmals imitat th mating signas of fmals

of othr ry spis lur mas, d promptly at thm Thsshming and wily impostors will somtims hid in tall grs dim

thir hs, and answr a signal only som of th tim so th oa

sional unsophistiatd mal annot asily dtt th trik. His fat isto b atn.

Som m ris ar just dvious. Thy mimi a mimi, dis

guising thmslvs as a prdator, thus frghtning o rivals for thfavors of a ontstd fmal. Som ingnious fakrs will prtnd to

b both an availabl fma and a narby rival mal thrby ntiing

a omptitiv mal to los in making a mal of him Ths

dplorabl russ probably xpln why th mssag systm ofris

is so laborat in som spis. Th bologist Jams Lloyd thinks so.

suspt that most ofth oding and omplxity that w rad todayin ry signals ha om about not baus of sltion in th on

txt ofrprodutiv isolation or vn sxual sltion but baus of

slon by signtraking prdators that ulld out simplr straight

forward signalrs" Lloyd says n fat, omplxity, inluding rd

tap may b a univrsal ountrmasur for or onsqun of da

ing with divrs in al sorts of biologial systms. This ida, aftr

volution by mans of natural sltion may b on of th most

important gnralizations that an b mad about ommuniation."

Hugly ingnious too ar th highth spinning skills of spidrs,

thos mastr nginrs and subtl prdators. Som of thm wav


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d

subtl intrica spcia cs optical illusions tha ac dathtraps

for thir unsuspcing icims h cunning silr Argiop spidr

uss slks that ar amost nsbl an spns ts wbs n brght sunli placs whr hy ar mor ily sn. All spidrs produc silk

bu this on uss highly old kinds o silk tha ar ranslucn

Dious as thy com th Argiop mbroidrs th wb with striking

gag patts that strongly rct ulraiolt lgh nsct s

hoodwnkd into mistaking hm or th strips an chrons on

h ptals o lowrs hir intndd sination. h sign is

changd ry nigh lik h ky to a miliary ciphr to furthr con

us th nsct pry I may b tha th sk us rcng ultraolt

ligh tha h Argiop was in is wbs ar a dic o ool inscs

ino thinking" thy ar sailing into opn spac sinc h sky s th

only natural sourc o such lightDan apprcatd h paradox ha th ry chansms o

cption ha on spcis uss to draud anothr acualy hlp h

scinist o arri a th immns hypohsis o naural slcion.

h small unruhs o inscts wr a gud to h as nw truth o

human orgns. Otn prsonng natur wh a nn pronoun

Darwin rgard hr not as a moral agncy, cranly but as a soro ricky x mor lik a dci sory or h Time crossword pul in whch crtan clus wr plant hat should ha tpp o

alr nstgators to th corrc soluton much arlr only thy

had bn smar nough o spot thm On such clu w th xs

nc oli orms hat dissmbld and blud thir way o surial

in rialry wh othrs who wr apt to blu back.Naur, Darwn sa may b s to ha takn pains to r hr

schm" Far rom bing a libra liar h ol girl actuly wnt

o som roubl to gi away hr scrs. How or ampl coul

naturalss ha bn so obus, so dns not to ha drawn h

omnous concluson rom th prsnc o archac now uslssorgans in crain spcis such as mbryonic th in h uppr jaw

o th unborn cal hat nr cu hrough h gums showing a clos

olutonary lnk btwn rumnts an pachyrms Or ro h

shrild wings o bls clar idnc hat hy old rom ar

lir craturs?


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H L I A R T A L

Useless ogs e so commo thoughout tue sid Dwi it

would be impossible to d oe of the highe imls lckig udi

mety o tophied pt of its tomy Me mms fo exmpe, possess wothess ipples. I skes oe obe of the lugs sees

o pupose whtee. Bids he btd" wg tht is udime

ty digit i some species the etie wig is so udedeeloped it

cot be used fo ight

hese futile ogs Dwi speculted, e like supeluous lettes

i the wods of lguge which e eetheless etied i thespellig Such emts see o pupose; they e ee misledig

fo the pupose of poucitio, but they gie cue to the dei

tio of wod Obsoete ettes do ot coespod to yhig e"

i tems of soud o meg but suggest the wy i which wod

h lteed oe the couse of time hey e ifomte to histoy.ht is the cse too with obsolete tomical fetues. hey gie

the eolutioy gme wy. Dwi getly mocked Cetiomid

ed histois who thought useless ogs wee thee fo the ske of

symmety," o to complete the scheme of tue," fo tht would

ioe some kid ofdeceptio o tice o the pt of the Ceto.

He efused to eteti such hypothesisPublc opiio w Dw's coe o this mtte s becme

eidet i the stge ffi of Philip Gosse, who ws i lte middle

ge whe the Orn of pee bust upo the scee Gosse espected zoologist d membe of the fudmetlist eligious sect of Ply

mouth Bethe, w discoceted, s wee may of his pees, to

otice tht the ew geologic eidece showig the Eth to be milios of yes od ws i ioet cotdictio to the ty biefe

timetble gie i the Bible which Achbishop Usshe clcuted to

be hi loge th fou thousd yes the wold hig got

udewy o Octobe 2 4004 B ttempt to ecocile the two

esios, Gosse dced the thesis tht the seemigly gdul eo

lutio of ogic life idex of the ths much moe eeble

ge ws ctully ilusio fud pepetted by the Autho of the

Wold who deceptiely plced fossils i the ocks t the momet of

cetio to mimic the ppece ofsow, eobyeo eoutio he

itetio w to test the fith of mots wekmided eough to


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d Bb 2

a h hsy oa aioss osmos This did o si w wih

Vioia ads, who xpd God o pay wih a saigh ba

yig" okd Thom Cay, is o pmid i his uis"Th pado w ha aus uhuss abou h oigi o

spis ad widspad aky o h pa o h podus o

ha ouioy poss. Th oio ha gui ad is ispaab

pa, suspiio, migh b pa o h oma od o higs,

bam appa as soo au w ipd o as ig

h mid o a Cao, bu a ompiio amog spis o hssiis o is.

Som siiss qusio whh uh is a bi isi amog

iig higs. s aud my paiia o uh? O a w say ha

uuh is h mo udam o h o? aiy sms o

ha a i o is ow i h og soy o ouio I my asdpio may b mo h u ha h pio Fiis a mo

ap o b sigad mdaiousy ha uhy ad som spis o

bids sd ou s aam as mo o ha gui os Th

is a di, buii saaio o di amog owy spis

Wa happs is ha h mo o a swid is paid h mo

is is h sio o is dio whih i u is s-io o mo pausib kids o di. Uimay, a w so o

ashood mgs by aua sio sdpio, whih, by

oaig om h pd h a ha i is pdig, maks

h ps sm a h mo auhi o h idiidua big

did.

A agum h b mad o h is o a isi ouh i h dphs ohuma bioogy, bd o h hoogy oh

i do. Aodig o his hsis h bai may b a u p-

ju, bu h body gis h bai away Th mdi siis Lwis

Thoma aims h poygaph shows ha a huma big ao

a i, a sm o, wihou sig o a kid o smok aam

somwh i a dak obu o h bai, suig i h sudd s-

hg o impuss o h sudd oupouig o uoho-

mos, o boh." Tha mas yig is sssu o us hums,

wha ou mois, sig o waig aams ha somhig

h go wog


24/361

H L I A R S A L E

It maks a kind of biologi sns, homas thinks, to say that

tuthtlling is a gnt ndowmnt, a bithight natual to

human bngs faths a to b o sas to sh. h dt-to woks baus w annot vn t a an untuth, btay a tust,

wthout sang som at of ou own bans Aft f tthf-

nss s my a habt of ubngng ad th us of ou utu,

wh s th a utu n whh yng s atid by a ts mmbs

a matt of ous? Who h v had of suh a ommunity,

xt has in th nightma fantay of an Owll?

h h Mahiavllian intllign" has bn usd by sin-

tists to dsib th dtiv tatis of anmals in th wild d in

ativity. h may b mo to this mtaho tha mts th y.

Niolo Mahiavlli th sixtnthntuy Italian statsman andhilosoh, found of aolitik took a adially natualisti viw

of human natu and soity utting olitis loos omltly fom

th huh and xloding th blif that th institutions that k

soity in businss a mad in th imag of and mio th osmi

od stabshd by God Pat of th shok t of hs magnum

ous e Pne s du to th fat that n that wok h hghights thanm haat of human bngs. Mahav ookd at ota

bods muh Dawn gadd sis, not tmss manifsta

tions of mind, but natual ouns that volv, ouish and

day at th my ofhanst o otun" in th Rnaissan

sns of an agny unning, whimsial, unditabl and dsing

of a fmnin onoun.n Mahiavlli in Dawin, natu is st against natu. Founa,

imsonal blnd h th agny of oods, havowaking

stoms and lagus, onfonts vi, th ow of mind to outwit thntoi, lvling tndnis of hysial fos. h ssn ofvi

is to b lv and stong and it is thially nutal A statsman

must ombin th qualitis oflion and fox th lion fo but fod th fox fo guil slynss and doubldaing in th at of vad

ing tas A Pn must b a gat fign and faud Nith Foruna no vi is on th sd of th angs. Ootunism us nMahav in Dawin, baus al s unstabl and mmannt.


25/361

1hr d ubt 2

Th stat is not th handiwok o God and anno b undstood in

tms o goals and ultimat aons Evn th bst onstutd soi

ty, vn Rom ould no sa dlin and dah. Likwis, sisha on lodd i ov h ah bam xint Founa xin

guishd thm.

Mahiavlli ad Dawin had this in ommon thy both disustd

unwoldly attituds l a ioi inils aloof fom aual obs

vation. Mahiavlli saw histoy as an ndlss oss o uthoa

omtition in whih th only mativ is to sud. Mankinddos no ossss instint fo uh Tuth is what woks in a-

i, vea euale ad Mahiavlli blamd wllinniond sas-mn suh as Savonaola o ausing misy to his omaios by

tying to la a sussul fashood with a intual tuth

Mahiavli talks abou th tuth o Chistianity, bu ss it asdbilitating to th halth and stngh of th wold. Th is a tuth

that s tu than vy oth tuth and that is woldy hono: mn

must b stong, amd and ady o dnd thi stat. Eo aiss

om waknss Th inn is ha i Chsianiy ha waknd

humaniy i no b ly u

Lik Mahiavlli Dawin is a ivoal gu in h amn ofalshood a ast o th wod o b takn siously. Th fous

o h ightnthntuy Enlightnmn of whih Dawin wa in

many sts an inhio, had bn on tuth ad on, th wo

bing vitually inthangabl and on Nau a sou of tuthRason had a natua anity wih vaity with laity with th

ansany o a mind laking muky dhs ad obsu nhgions awin ognizd ha h is an immns din

btwn volution ad dnyand h w an minnly dnt

son. H did not blv that human bings hav an instint to b

tuthul, any mo ha thy hav a inbon bli in God. Many

instanes h wits ould b givn o th nobl dliy of savags

towads ah oth but not to stangs ommon xin usti-

s th maxim o th Saniad Nv, nv tust an ndian Th

lov o h h nod is no uniom aoss humaiy. Cain sav-

ag tibs adh o i mo han do ohs, d i h aly bn

hought a sin to li to stgs. n a oosiv id, minisnt of


26/361

H E L R S L E

Machiavllis commnts on th uthlss and suspicious chaact of

th diplomacy of his tims Dawin nots th usful ol playd by

ying, addig th histoy of mon dipomacy too paiyshows.

In his wtings, ason sms to mg with instinct, th ngin ofvolution. Dawin spnt considably mo ink on instinct than on

o an wot pansivy on th conctio btw istict

ad tuth. Both h and th ightnthcntuy potoDawinist

JanBaptist amack thought th istnc ofinstincts mad a thoy of th oigin of spcis mo difcult to dfnd sic thy sm

to tai an itignc i atu that ps ahad, that cacuats

Yt it is th vy ssnc of an instinct that a catu folows it

gadlss of ason. amacks sw w that habits acquid i

th iftim of individuals bcom hitabl in th fom of an innatispositio. hat w so commossica it w ou to b wog.

amack mad a point of saying that instinct, unik intligc

canot dciv ad is adaptd dicty to a goal H mad a clan sp-

aatio btw instinct, as inhtly abovboad and honst in itsopatios, ot a ia o a chat, an itigc, o, which is

capabl of al kinds of sham an atic.In th 1830s, Dawin w a amacki. H suggstd that acci-

dtal altations in th nvionmnt could poduc nw habits in

aimas, oganizing thi bioogica stuctu, that th moi-

cations w inhitd by th nt gnations In tim such stuc

tual innovations would sult in a nw spcis As Dawn's

thinking pogss h cam to gad insticts, not as paagons ofocitfuss, as amack had biv, o as istmts of

tuth in th sns that thy nabld animals to hamoniz pfcty

with thi suoundings but mo analogus to pats of anatomy,

which volv to t th ogaism to its habitat. Whn h cam to wit

th , h had gv up th ia that spcis a compty adapt-

d, with a sot of ngiing pcision. In that spct h ha

bcom a ativist. Th t btwn a idividual and its miiu os

ot hav to b act fo th catu to ouish. It oy ds to b

tt adapt tha its comptitos. Natu sctio w ot a p

sv of th status quo, a ybtic foc pushing and puling


27/361

1hr od out

spis to kp thm onstant d stabl but a hil of nolty

somtims produing lif forms of startling n biarr originality.

Abandonng s bf in a prft mat btwn bioo andnronmnt Darwn grw nrngy ntigud by msts od-

ts datons ad nongruts Wr amak ad mad mu

of th ronablnss d trutfulnss of natur Dan saourd

its ntriitis and uirks n oionaly its sillinss H lookd

for th marginal th outofkiltr to bolstr his argumnt for nat-

ural sltionWllam Paly th ading natural thologian of th day ond-

d that som of th mhanisms of adaptation wr traordinarily

ungainly and ndlssly umbrsom Why for instan is th y

suh n intriat riggdup ontrian Surly an allpowrful al

wis God ould ha gin his raturs th gift of sight at onstrok by diin ommand h planation said Paly must b

that intriay in anatomy is a dlibrat rus on th part of th Cr

ator to st up an analogy btwn ron in t workings of biology

ad on in th thougt prosss of t uman mind W nd

natur ntlgb baus t s dsgnd n ways that mmi our own

r mahns.Darwn who a young man had bn mprssd wth Pays

argumnts drw th oppost onluson. h y s ngnious r-

tainly but it is not a prft pi of nginring lt alon a work of

whih th ltimat Mind old b proud. Darwn uots with i-

dnt rlish from th Grman physiologst rmann on Hlmholt

wll known for his hostility to mtaphysial spulation: Onmight say that natur has takn dlight in aumulating ontradi-

tions in ordr to rmo all foundation from th thory of a pr-

isting harmony btwn th trnal and intrnal worlds. Hr w

ha th uintssn of Darwnism. No spial ration no prft

adaptation no gin attunmnt of mind to world t w prisly

th disharmonis that aught Darwins fany

Just anatomial faturs ary nabling sltion to sift th t

from th unt so nstnts too ought to ary from on nddual to

anothr Naturasts of Dawns tim pointd out tat instnts do

ary somtms to a rmarkabl dgr h onyb for amp


28/361

8 H L I A R S A L

hs bout thirty diffrnt wirdin bhviors ch on tightly con

strind. n tht cs thr must surly b suprnnutd instincts,

nogous to th rchic rics of obsot bodiy orgns, usss ndso in viotion of th mrckin critrion for truthfunss: bioo

tht hrmonizs crtur with its wordCn th instinct of b to sting b cd truth"? Onc, th

sting ws n instrumnt for boring, srrtd ik th dg of stk

knif. Now usd to poison nmis, th dvic, onc insrtd cnnot

b ily withdrwn nd oftn kills its ownr by tring out its viscr A dog tus round svrl tims bfor lying down to slp,

vidnty bcus fr bck in th mists of th volutionry pt, its

ncstors md thir bd by tmping do high grss. ody, tht is

futil gstur Instincts c bcom fs in thir t with th world,

nd sinc Drwin dcidd tht intllignc nd instinct hv common b, thr must b thoughts tht r so fls in th sm wy,

but hld with ul strngth nstincts r vry bit bl to dis

smbl d dfrud th most dvious intllct f th mind is n

orgn tht vris ovr gnrtions som of its vritions prsrvd

nd othrs discrdd w r sury mistkn in supposing it to b

uniu instrumnt indpndnt of ntur, rriving t truth" by privigd rout

Som of th minds id my b suicidy wrong, th mnt

uivlnt of th sting of b n lttr ofuy 3, 188 Drwin

wrot: with m th horrid doubt lwys riss whthr th convic

tions of mns mind, which hs bn dvlopd from th mind of th

owr nimls, r of ny vlu or t l trusorthy Aftr ll hcould not ry on his ys whn dcivd by optic illusion. How

thn, cn w dpnd on th mind to know th world s it rlly is

whn it volvd hphzrd from rudimntry origins dvic for

dging out th comptition in somtims violnt nd dsprt skir

mishing for survivl?

A rcurring thm in Drwins writings, not oftn mphsizd in

th multitud of books bout him, is th rsistnc of th mind to

nw nd mor ccurt id bout rlity Fls blifs my com to

sm ntur bcus of th history ofth mind or brin which h

rgrdd th sm thing. Ntur sction simpy dos not cr


29/361

£ d ou

bou gvng us meculously ue d compehensve nsgh no

he nue of hngs sys he Dwn schol Mchel Ruse f we

bene bologclly by beng deluded bou he ue nue offomlhough hen so be

Mes ofSuspcon s he phe Pul Rcoeu ppled o hee

hnkes who lef o ou me legcy ofmsus ofhe hum nel

lec Kl Mx Fedch Nesche nd Sgmund Feud Ech n hs

own wy looked sknce conscousness d clled flse Hence

foh o seek meng s no longe o spell ou conscousness ofmenng bu o decphe s expessons Wh mus be fced hee

foe s no only heefold suspcon bu heefold gule

sugges Dwns nme should be dded o coeus ls of he

unusng modens As one of hese suspcous nellecs he w

exceponl n hs nspen openness of mnne gulelessnesslmos mounng o nve Ye he s undenbly hnge gue n

he nson o he msus of conscousness whch h culmn

ed he un ofhe mllennum n he posmoden suspcon ofln

guge deceful nd selfsevng vehcle wh no ncho n

uhful menngs lodged n he mnd

hom Hxley n n obuy of hs heo publshed n Naue nApl 88 comped Dwn wh Soces Soces hd been

pupl of Achelus who could n lmed sense be clled n evolu

ons n youh Soces w songly dwn o fhonble heo

es of he unvese wh s mde o how begn Le he becme

dsenched wh ll such speculons d los nees n physcs

nsed he se hs mnd o he ueson of cvlon of howhumn bengs should lve ogehe n socey Polcs nd lnguge

ngued hm s well decen conduc nd vld eonng

Cceo sd Soces ws he s peson who summoned phloso

phy wy fom mysees veled n concelmen by nue hesel

Dwn's ce w somewh dffeen He ws conden h he

seces of he mel wold evenully could be unlocked by scence

nd he shed Hley eveence fo scenc uh Bu he h

boed no such opmsm o wh hve been clled he ge

ollng hemes" of donl phlosophy uesons ofdeemnsm

vesus fee wll he ogn ofevl he exsence of God A dog mgh


30/361

0 H E I A R A E

wll spulat on th mind ofNwton h on sad Dawin was

th lutant sassin of th dotin of divin ation alady sik-

ly and fagil in th loudd aftnoon of high Vitoianism lti-

matly h may also hav bn a onspiato in th mud of anoth

totting Vitoan ppt th ida of an assud ospondnbtwn th human mind and th utimat tuth of things


31/361

C A P T T W

hc Eoutio of ig

O of the ot poant thng to realze about te of anal councaon that th are not te for the denaton of the th.

br vr

E X S T E C E F C P T S U A

gd sal in loa and fauna is an initmnt o think

of natur as possssing a dvious kind of intlli

gn and from hr o ap to h obvous ontur

hat human hany is somhow invitab a bi omponn ofbiology.

Si Fanis Baon polymath popht found of modn sin

in England had found it nssary to imprss on his rads tha

naur s snr; sh s no ou o mak a fool of h nurng mind.

W g nau wrong baus ofh fas mrrors" ofour snss and

our ingnd tndny to bliv what w wish to bliv Two nturis lat it was still possibl o talk in mtapho about whth o

no h univrs is a hat n on of his most minutly parsd pi

gams Albr Einstin o sd God s sophistiatd bu h is no

malious by whih h ma ha physa naur h world tha

Nwton rathr than Darwin mad intlligibl in an ntirly nw way

is not unning or dupliious dos not ngag in bluf Th univrsmay onal its mysris by ason of its inhnt loftinss and

gandur but it will no do so out of manspiitd guil not out of

shr prsy.

3 1


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H R .

But i unning i th rul n o many pi that ar impl and

annt how an w rit th tmptation to ay that natur hrl

raty, wi opn th door to t hry tat ha a mnd, tath know whr h going? Som tinkr who ommandd a

rptul audin in th lat Vtorian ra did uumb to that

lur.

Whn Darwinm wnt into tmporary p around t nd o

th nintnt ntury, awaitng ru by th nw in o gnt

i Fortr Darwin mannd by mbattld dndr o th gratnaturalt ud th known at about th dituln o p to

botr th a or th tmporary unaionabl thoy o naturl

ltion hr ad bn a good dal o prmatur daning on th

grav o th lton hypot vn though th onpt o volu

tion tl wa aliv d wllLamark ad dd n ptou irumtan twotrd o a ntu

ry arlir, blnd blittld and impuniou th butt o a mortiing

nub at t hand o Napolon who mad it lar n th mot pub

l hon that onidrd Lamark work on wathr orat

ing a lot o nonn Now howvr, in t vauum ratd by t

unpopularity o natur ltion rtain pt o Lamarkaount o volution bgan to look quit tmpting Darwin himl

had not lod o th poibility that ltion might not b th on

and ony mhanm, bomng nraingy opn to th poibiity

that it wa augmntd by othr uh th inritan o abit a

amarkan ida

Lamark propod that an animl dvlop nw or modid parto t anatomy aordng to what t nd to ouri n a partular

habitat A ort o ubtl lud alway in motion at to produ nw

organ or improv xitng on a man o atiing tho nd

t not a qution o imply willing uh innovation to om into

tn Nd ar ratd by th nvronmnt, and th dtr

min how a givn anim wll u it body i it mak pi u o

an organ tat organ wll draw mor ud and mor uid man

thr will b uul hang in th organ. h anmal oprng

nhrt th hang and n t our o many gnraton an ntir

ly novl organ an mrg. Gra, by Lamark lgt wtd to


33/361

c Eooluon of nnng

at lavs on th uppr branhs oftrs and th wight of gnra

tions of wting produd th rquisit longr nks

Thr w prious i t in th way ofvidn to support this thory bu i gav som omfor to hos who found h dorn of th

surviva of th s too harsh for hr st I has bn suggs

that th rvival of Lamarkism at th turn of th ntury at lt in

Amria was pary du to a quirligious prfrn for a story

showing natur as purposful rativ" rathr than blindly

stumbling onto sussful forms of lif by aidnt Aording to apopuar inrpraion of Lamark spis ar n th drvrs sat

guiding volution by a sort of privat ntrpris though ways

indbtd to th bnvolnt wisdom of th Crator

Th inidn of trikry d disguis in th imal worl with

spis prtning" to b othr and diffrnt spis for thir ownavantag provdd som ammuniton aganst th nms of nat

ural sltion Nauraists working in th d oftn gtting wt an

old opposd to sintists sitting warm and dry at laboratory

bnhs wr awar of what animals atually got up to in th om

ptitiv arna of th wil and som of it w quit undrhd Ths

obsvrs aah hgh mportan to apts of naur h noorxpmnrs nd o gnor On suh faur w gographi

isolation as a fator in th origin of spis Anothr w fraudulnt

display and dption

Lamark ha spokn of omplx lif forms s having beoinns" and nw kins of nds mgh ars if h nvironmn

altr A nd ar what h ad an na fng" or en-men ineur, whih in turn st o th ation of th subtl uids.Suh a nd ws prssing" in Lamark's trm Th word enimenhas bn translatd onsiousnss" or mor vaguly lif for"

Languag of this sort oupld with Lamarks loosly organizd

mho of prsnng hs viws invt radrs o onu that

transformations of anatomy during volution wr instigatd by a

kind of mntal opration smaking of purposful inllign and

dlibrat hoi.

Samul Bur an amatur psionatly moivat aniDawin

s wih a prva nom a shp famr turn novst a


34/361

H R S

rii dvlopd his own vrsion ofLamarksm dawing also on h

idas of Darwn's polymah grandfahr Erms Blr spn na

y a dad uaing wih awin had rad h On of peieavidly whil srondd by Nw Zaland shp Bak n England n

h 180s Blr fond h w smply drivn no" dfndng

Lamark wllynilly H dismissd Darwns hory of naral sl

ion a op of sd" lswhr h ad i an soi doin

and if ha rriad arwn, so mh h br

Blr sd h word nning" o dsrib h sragis ofLamarkian organisms n adapng o h nvironmn nning a

opposd o soks ofuk" I aid h sggsion of somhing

dvios d no i abovboard

Th nsini rm was o rsona byond h aniDarwin

prod Th wnihnry philosoph Karl Poppr aknowldgd ha nning dos xis in naur hough h abd i o

h rsl of slion rahr han o a bas a pror fo driving vo

lon Blr lss aosly asrd h xisn of a mind ad

inllign hrogho h nivrs" n his Unoniou Memopubishd in 880 h ommndd h ad o s vry aom n

h nvs as living and abl o fl and o mmbr b in a hmbl way" Th nhrian of aqird hararss by sding

gnraions was ffd by a kind of nonsios mmory wa

askng oo muh of h adr Bu ondd, o pa himsf on

h sam moral plaform as a son" Sfn js o ag ha h

son ha a moral plaform of s own, prhaps involving lil mor

han a pofond rsp for h laws of graviaion Wh hsuprm ondn of h nonp bolsrd by hs onsidab

lrary gifs, Blr ddd ha onsiosnss prvads h nir

ram oflif In Luk or Cunnin?, pblishd in 188 h wo: Thhory ha lk is h man mans of organi modiaion s h

os absou dnia of God whh is possb fo h human mind

o oniv"

On pson srongly arad o Blr's ida w GorgBrnard Shaw who dvord h pags ofLuk or Cunnin? siingup wh i a a ngh and akng i wh hm on waks in yd Park

H rviwd i favorably ndr h glfl hadlin: Darwin


35/361

' Eoouo o g

Dnound" h book suid Shaws mysia viw o fvoluion ad

rsonad wih his omplain ha Darwin had banishd mind from

h univrs. Shaw w uny wih h ida ha lif ws us a oloss aidn Suh an aoun signd a haoi oss of onro

whih lld him wih drad. Early on Shaw ws a admirr ofMarx

who argud ha hangs in soi and onom ondions w no

h rsul of han bu of a univrsal prinipl. Shaw prfrrd h

wful d puposv pu of f drawn from Lamark and

spousd a philosophy of h Lif For a unning and raivagny ha sruggls o bom onsious of isl parly hrough

id ar and liraur. Hum bings ar an xprimn by h Lif

For md a making makind ino God, a gigani rsarh pro

j o produ ndvduals of hghr and hghr qualiy. Fom m

o im h Lif For is lvr nough o bring forh a gnius of hod of Shaw hmsf s a so of pvw of omng araons.

Par and parl of bing godlik is prf knowldg full om

phnson posssson of h uh Fo Shaw w a a soy ha

opras undr ovr of a srn of lis ha is spd in hyporisy

h bn nod ha Shaws works ar full of words lik humbug"

sham imposur" prns." By onras wih soiy h Shavan Lf For is ssnially hons on h sid of ruh and

adamany opposd o fraud spay whn i is a fraud w pp-

ra agains ourslvs h prson who is ruhlssly larsighd

abou himsf a bom somhng k a god In Man and upman DonJuan insiss ha voluion works n h dirion of high

and hgh ndvidus h id ndvdu bing omnponomnisin infllibl and wihal omplly unilluddly slf

onsious; in shor a god."

f Darwin had banishd mind from h univrs h prvan of

prns d dissmbling in h animal world posd h qusion of

how naur an b unning" and y b xpland wihou usng a

lguag of psyhology h dba w had on boh sids.

Edwad ouon profsso of zooogy a Oxfod mad a snuous

as for mindlss" slion as h hif ngin of voluion and h

usd h obsrvd fas abou anmal mimiy o bols his argu

mn Poulon sidd srongly wih h ld nauriss agains h


36/361

H E L A R S A E

ivory owr horiss Nauraliss who wahd a rs hand h

sruggl for xisn ralizd ha h way a spis looks is ofn

onnd wih vry grav issus oflif d dah. Poulon ook hpigmnaion of raurs sriously no as an irrlvan many of

h bnhbound siniss did H wro abou h maning of h

olors of animals h informaion somims usfully mislading

hy onvy as par of hir ffivnss in h daily k of saying

aliv. A h sam im h argud ha i woud b absurd o suppos

raurs did o in hmsvs in a rain way undr h guidan of a amarkian inrior snimn. All suh alk of mindful

nss and purpos w so muh nonsns. Would w wan o

aribu unning or h dlibra saisng of dsir o inss

who ak on h apparan of wasps, nobodys favori mal hus

avoiding bing an by birds? Or rgard a inllign h grashoppr a whih imprsonas h bombadir bl Pheophuanathu a raur famous for is onspiuous orang lgs and isnasy habi of squiring a ausi liquid whn ups? Poulon ould

s no logi in ha lin of argumn Th giraff surly did no

xnd is nk ou of a raional piraion o obain ass o lavs

so high as o b ou of rah. Tha soundd almos as silly as h spulaion of Shas frind Edward Carpnr, ha h lark alrd h

shap of i s wings by h mr lov of soaring and singing in h fa

of h sun." Wha happnd was ha giraffs whih us happnd

o hav longr nks han ohr giraffs ndd o surviv and rpro

du in grar numbrs

Many biologiss a h im disikd h noion ha olors onanimas man" somhing prfrring o s hm as a oinidn

or uk. Thy pu suh id down o ovraiv Darwinian imagi

naions" How for insan oud h hory of frauduln imia

ion lif insuran xpln h olors on h inide of a snails shll?Surly ha would argu for oloraion bing an aloghr inrn

affair Ohrs hough h similariy in apparan in diffrn

spis oo los, oo prf o b h rsul of rdom sion

n ff, siniss lik Poulon mad hir for h difu

nss of nar by rminding hir opponns: s a jung ou

hr aboraory yps ould poohpooh h hory of proiv


37/361

'r lutin f unning

lying baus thy had no ra undrstanding o th awul strans

and prssurs imposd on raturs in th r world. Lamark had

tan a strangly oand atttud toward th trrors oompttionin th wld rgarding th attrition olss sussul animals by mor

sussul ons as a sort o prudnt systm o husbdry naturs

way o kpng numbrs down to managabl sz On should not

l too sorry or th losrs. Yt th study o mimiry did hlp to kp

th am o Darwnism aliv until th arrival o a sur sin o

gnts and it warrd aganst th nnaton to suppos that sombnign orm of mntism th opraton of som mystrious ntl-

lgn, guidd th oprations by whh sps adapt to nw r-

umstans

Mntalsm rpt bak nto th study o dit at a mor sophisti-

atd stag o noDarwinsm, whn th twntth ntury w wadvand Th obsrvabl at that raturs do not spnd thir

whol tim omptng aggrssivly, on indivdual against anothr

in ndlss rivalry, but ar somtims unslsh and oopatv ld

to soiobiology a disiplin that mad room or altruism and sari

aongsid th stn o ruthlss omptton Evoutonary

suss in ths vw is not just th rsult of a brut struggl to stayiv, but is somtms a mor subtl mattr o passing ons gns

on to th nt gnration. That n b ahivd by assstng rativs

to brd rathr than brding onsl n olonis o ants and bs

thr ar rtan workrs unabl to brd who spnd all thir tim

hlping rtl brthrn who an Th mphasis is on rprodution,

not bar suival.Soiobologsts talk about gns and or th most part shw

trms that suggst an anma has intntions and thoughts. t has

bn notd howvr that thy an b quit r n using th lan-

guag o onomis whn dsussng rprodutiv stratgs, nud

ng suh words as osts, bnts nvstmnt, budgts

ny, monopoly, and advrtisng l this onvys

imprsson o dlibrat alulation, a sort of unnng although t

s mant to liminat any imputaton o human attituds This is

spiay th as whr dption is nvovd. En Crst ponts

out that whl soiobologists largly avod mntalisti trms, aith


38/361

H R E

fu h n ha animals d n hav minds an inmin y

cun cpin hs ul is a dg f willingnss aibu

animals ih h innin dciv and manipua hshwd abiliy wigh advanags and disadvanags" Th spii f

Machavlli pps hugh agan

Cnsid h c f h nspnd scklback oteu punucdd by Rb Tvs a Unvsiy f Califnia bilgis

Mas f his spcis buid nss shapd lik sma pips n which

fmals swm lay hi ggs. Smms whil n fmal isspawning in a mas ns anh fma appas a sh disanc

away. Th mal swims h and invis h in hping dubl hs

pduciv pwss h fmal is suppsd ay h wn cuch

f ggs whupn h mal mvs in and filizs as h fndly

suppss bh cuchs Fld yu On sm ccins h scndfmal is acually a mal wh snaks in and filizs h s and

nly cluch f ggs h ick s wkd by h imps aling is

bigh bding cain which advss is mascuin gnd

h dingy cypic nnbding clain f h fmal This ds

hns bhavi is knwn in h ad as cping h inud is

s hugh in his chicany ha vn whil filiing h ggsffcivy cuckding h h unsuspcing ma h affcs h

psu f a fmal laying ggs

Jus wh mindlss Dawnian dcpin lavs ff and inn

inal fashd bgins is a ma f dba. n sm spcs i

smbls h incnclusiv cnvsy v whh n nnhu

man pimas hav u languag Rsachs wh sudy dcpinnd clba h uefulne if n h accuacy f aing animas as if hy hav minds Smhing picss was s" w sci

niss gfully cnclud whn adcal bhaviism iumphd

v mnalism in animal psychgy. Sm bsvd fms f

lying n h wild d suggs sphisicad innins and an und

sanding f h mnaliy f h animal bing dcivd Gffy

Basn cald vluin a mnal pcss" whl Rb Michll

cauiusly asss ha an animal psing anh s f spcs

invvs naua scin and sm (h) mn pcss

Tha sms cv all h bass Wha s inigung is ha fauds


39/361

r Eutin f unning

v misladig apparas suh as h bury wih wigs rsm

blig is ow had so ha prdaors programmd o go for h had

ak a sl of wg sad, ar so p so wll d o hds ad prpios of ohr aimas i h virom. Som

formal similariy Mihll says, xiss bw h produs of a

ua slo hos of huma ao or md.

Mihll ss four lvls of dpio i aur. A h rs sim

ps lv a sps dvs baus i ao do ayhig ls bu

div A viroy bury wih markigs ha mimi hos of amoarh, oious o blu jays is a posur al is if A vl wo h

mdaous a ours oy wh h s som oh au h

viiiy o b dupd as i h as of h ry whos fak sigas

d h rspos of ohr ris arby o ahiv hir rsul A

vl hr dpo is o auomai bu a b lad by a adrror Lyig bhavior is modid aordig o whhr i works or

dos o work s hough, fo xampl, ha som bids lar o

o sog bu a rproir of diffr os o ra h io of a

dsly rowdd habia disouragig w birds from akig up rs

d arby Or, a dog may aff a sham mp whupo s

huma owrs ar ap o smohr i wih aio ad sympahy.Suh falshoods ar o prprad baus h aimal has isigh

io h mids of hos who ar divd by is bhavior A h

divr kows for sur is ha h riks work ad his a b

ard by pim a ha Oly a h fourh ad hghs

v dos a iio o div o simpy o maipula, our.

Hr misadig aios ar modid aordig o wha hy mao ohs big msd. Hums l a hs yp of faud bu

himpazs a aso bom qui good a i spially afr rai

ig wih huma arakrs Fras d W has foud amog himps

a pasiv disorio of iformaio i oras o h simplr

dpiv prais of maaqus

h Ama phosophr Dai D o hough ha

v h mos advad ohuma aimals ik himps or dogs

wruabl o r blifs abou h blifs ofohrs, or dsirsad fars abou h dsrs ad fars ofohrs abils idspsab

if o is o ruly div. D was ovid ha oly h uiqu


40/361

E I A R S A E

human ss whos uniqunss rsids in h fa ha i an ak,

is abl o hav blifs abou h blifs of ohrs Animals wihou

languag ar naab of suh sohsiad nsghs for h srason ha hy anno hav blifs abou Friday or ory." Lar

nn w no so rain H bgan king around for sors

abou animals ha smd o hav insighs ino wha w going on

nsid h hads of ohrs, inluding humans Among h vidn

h found h mos owrful dal wih anma dion A frind

wro o him abou h oion whn on vning h w siing ahom n h only har on whh his dog was alowd o sl Th

dog drivd of ha omforabl so, lay whimring a his f.

Whn ha sm and hons form of oron did no work h dog

sood u and walkd o h door whr sh ould b aily sn by

hr masr Sh srahd a h door, a ar sgna ha sh hadgvn u ing o whdl hm ou of h har and had didd o

go ou Bu ha wa a li Th momn h unsusing ownr wn

o h door o l hr ou sh samrd bak aross h room d

la ino h vaad hair whr ossssion was ninnhs of h

aw

Hr" says Dnn i sms w mus arib o h dog hintenon ha hr masr believe sh want o go ou" h n an

mal is aming o aus h human anima o do somhing h

would nvr do f hs bfs abou wha wa going on wr aura

and ru Dnn sulas howvr ha a dog migh simly

know sh has ondiond hr mr o go o h door whn sh

srahs i in whih as i is a of siml bhavorism fsh hadrun o h window and lookd ou growling susiiously a novl

shm no rid bfor, vdn of a ru don woud hav

bn srongr

Mor srkng s h of Ausin, a him n avy sudd by

Su Savagambaugh and Klly MDonald Ausin was h viim

of rough ramn by anohr, argr hm namd Shrman a

ommon bully. Lik many bullis Shrman had a owary srak in

his a vry si on h w ard of h dark Ausin who

had no suh fars usd o sli ousid afr nighfall and mak noiss

on h wall of h slng room whih soundd lik an inrudr


41/361

£ olution o nning

sapng or poundng on th mt tryng to bak n. H would

thn surrpttously sdl bak n and start to pr out as tyng to

s whr th suspous noss orgnatd Th t on Shrmanwas dramat. Vagu ntmatons o a mna lurkng n th nght

w nough to bng out a hs uakng s so muh so that h

atuly turnd to Austn hs browbatn subordnat or omort

and huggd hm Ths trk was not a suddn nspraton howvr.

Austn prtd t ovr sval yars

Nonhumans vn th v ons sm to possss a sttdrpror o alshoods Th plovr or ampl s a ondpton

sps t an mslad a potntal ntrudr by lyng away rom ts

nst o dglngs and ths sms to b an nbo dsposton But th

povr dos not smary dstat a val away rom a wng mat o

a p o matra or buldng a nst Aps and monkys ar morvrsatl n thr rang o rauds but th anmal psyhologst Davd

Prmak suggsts that th hmp an undrstand only rathr smpl

stats o mnd sng wantng ptng. B whh s a hghy

ompl mntal ondton s mor doubtu anmal wll not

attrbut to anothr a stat o mnd t annot hav or know t has

Languag s smply an amplr o suh omptns makng thmo pow

t has bn notd that raudulnt bhavor n prmats othr tha

humans tnds to rvolv around th trmly unntrstng bus

nss o gttng and prvntng othrs rom gttng ood n on o

th most potnt myths o human orgns th rst man and woman

mad th prptous dsnt rom prt nnon to gult andsham by th at o atng an appl That atul laps was th nalo drama playd out aganst a bakdrop o msnormaton. Wth

n tt mor than a wk o th Craton" wts Nho

Humphy v had bn bguld by a subtl srpnt sh had

tmptd Adam and God hmsl had bn aught tllng ls But o

th tr oth knowldg ogood d vl God had sad thou shalt

not at ot o on th day that thou atst tho thou shat suly d But th srpnt had told th woman Y shall not surly d.

And v had atn th appland sh had not dd nor had Adam

Mn womn and Gods too t sms wr dvrs v God had


42/361

H A R S A E

sad that n th da" that thy at it thy wud prsh but Adam

livd b 0 yars ldWhr simplr spis disgus thmslvs with brwd

plumag, w bfusat wth wrds, pant dubts in mnds w ar

abl t rad; th subtlty f ur minds and th mplity f human

sity mak it all but invitabl that w shuld d s At vry

v" said th shlar flanguag Gg Sinr, fm but

ulag t pti visin th lingusti apaity t nal, misinfrmav ambiguus hypthsiz invnt s indspnsab t th u-

libium f hman nsiusnss and t th dvlpmnt f man in

siy

W ar sti aryng n vs, and th spnts, wrk


43/361

C A P T R R

nt thr ogos

t i muh ea to reoge r tha tod ruth the fo le o the urfae thi i qute maageabe. he tter reide the deth ad thi quet i oteo bue oee

S U S P C O T A T T U V R S S M A

cious in Einstins sns and th many ingnous

fforts to ay that suspcon to rst ar xtrmy

ancn n h hisory of though A makd ndncy is

to ntrprt th univrs as bng in tun wth th human mnd, insom sns consucd along smla lns so hat f h mind s sn

cr and tuthful th unvrs wll rspond with honst answrs

instad of sly vasons. Going back many cnturs n tm w cans how dpy attractiv yt how pron to rbutta is this da of th

mindful cosmos d ts corolary, that truth s part of th natural

od of hingsSinc ts bgnnngs phiosophy has spit much ink and spun

many ngnous argumns n h sach fo answrs o a par of

ratd qustions s thr a prfct t btwn th mind and th

world guarantng truthful knowldg of it? And scondly s such

a corrspondnc part of th gvn ordr of thngs, or is it a human

contrvanc? Putting it anothr way f human bngs ar by naturphlosophcaln Astols dom, bon wh a ds o knowo

what xtnt s th world thy inhabit phlosophca gving back

answrs ha sais th nborn nd o undsand Is h wold

3


44/361

H E L I A R S A L E

nherenly hospable o he nures of human reason, and beng

hospable never leadng us asray?

In he epc poems of Homer, here are suggesons ha he worlds anphlosophcal, acually ressan and obdurae o he effors

of humans o undersand Homer does make hs unverse nell

gble n he sense ha hs gods and goddesses behave very much lke

human bengs enablng hs audence o feel a home n hs world n

ceran respecs, Homers dvnes are no more oherworldly han

characers n a dayme elevson soap opera Hs explanaon fornaural happenngs s herefore que accessble bu s far from

sasng o he phlosophc mnd Homers celesal personages are

no fully n command of he forces of naure, and here are many

compeng gods and powers Zeus supreme among he gods has

desgns d plans, exers hs wll, and makes nellgen decsonslke he CEO ofa Forune 00 company or a prme mnser bu he

Faes he moa seem o play an ndependen role as forces of necessy, schedulng hs or ha even, such as when a gven ndvdual s

o de. he Faes are mpersonal n a way ha Zeus s no and hey

are denely no reonable as he hum mnd s reasonable. hey

represen Necessy, bu no a cosmc nellgencehe mporan role of rcks and ruses n Homers poems suggess

a world so domnaed by a ruhless necessy and by semblance

raher ha plan dealng ha cheang and arce may somemes

be he mos raonal way o dea wh Odysseus n hs wanderngs

evades he necessy of deah a every urn by swndles and shams.

He s he man of many us poopo he cunnng escape arswho manpulaes fae, renvens hmself alers realy o hs own

advanage. He wears dsguses even when here s no pressng need o

do so. Bu hs falsehoods are usually ehcal n he archac sense of

deng fae worsng one's enemes and proecng ones frends.

Lyng suggess he lar has a superor nellgence, s a praccal and

ngenous person, creang alernave versons of realy, as he poes

do. When Odysseus cooks up a pece of con o hde hs rue den

y from Ahene who s clad n he dsguse of a shepherds boy

Ahene, seeng hrough he ho mmedaely, says wh obvous

apprecaon of hs powers of nvenon


45/361

t r 008

v g and y b harpand gilfl a nak vn a gd

igh w y n way f dlanY Y haln

B bag f k H in y wn nrywd y n giv yr raag a rr p pndng fr an nan

Ahn add ha h knw h ar f ilading wll a

Odyu ang h gd h fau fr dpn and p.Bu Odyu' w i a Darwinan rai ha bring hi afy

hrgh h prl f hi wandring i bddd in hi naur,

digi i brn in h haln and fr uh h a ran

M pan, Odyu i a f rky anguag k Hr

, h rikr gd inkd diful niain. H i an

pr n h u f wrd vil invigl, and . Hi digi ar

aplihd n nly wih b wih languag; h wav

nal bigaphi f hf a a prv anuv W w

ra Ody' ui n n ur" wri h

hlar Pal Vivan w wuld hav lk fr in h hr vial

iy f hi naurhi inn rviv, lv b fr. Hr rafn bu bau a way afy vy, i b

kill ingniy invnvn"

Whn hinkr f aniuiy did akl wha Hr lf

nhd, naly, a Thry f Evryhing," aib huan

n, a h urn f h h nuy akng bd gu as

wha r f ff h wrld igh b ad h anwr hn f whhr h wrld inlligbl ind wa a Y b

" S f h r hri wr hildih as h f h

yhakr wh h as f gd and nyph, bu f h ar

h nw phyikoi r dn f h naur f hing vrd awayf rdinary n n. Aril fauly d philphy

bgin in wndr, whh an i n pbly b nn wih

lam bvu anwr ha nv ad b ru S 200

yar afr h arly Grk narali bgan pla abu wha

h wrld rall i, Brrand Rll in hi roblems of hilosopwr ha h ruh abu phy bj must b rang may


46/361

6 H I A R T A

b uninbl, bu f ny philosophr bivs h hs nd i,

h f h wh h offrs s h ruh is srng ough no o b

md ground ofobon o hs opnion. Th nw brd of Grkphysikoi wnd o onsru h word no in rms of blind nssy bu s somhing profoundly nurl und o s humn

inhbins nd undrsndbl in humn rms w shoud no

nd o rik or i o i in ordr o g by Aording h lssi

sholr G S Kirk, hs hinkrs wr no siply ying o xpin

h world s i is bu rhr h world s mn nds i o bunidomprhnsib nd ulmy symphi" Ths innion o

s h osmos in rms of nds Kirk gos on nvr b nir

ly rdd from humn hinkng bu w srongr for h

Grks hn for h nw siniss of h Rnissn or hir mod

rn sussorsBy rdiion h ris of hs invsigors w Ths of Mil

us mn of Phoniin dsn in his prim round 8 BC Evidny h ws briin Though no h rs of h Grk nur

philosophrs h ws so fr hd of his prdssors h hy fdd

ino obsuriy. Thls w by rpuion polymh, n ronomr

who prdid wih rsonb ury n ips of h Sun usingBbylonn bs of solr nd lunr orbs. A prl mn h

rpudly md onsidrbl moun of mony by using his sro

nom knowhow o prdi bumpr hrvs of olvs king r

o ornr h mrk in oiv oil prsss ry in h yr nd

swihd h ours of rivr nbling h rmy of King Crosus o

ford iThs prsnd h srling hypohsis h h arhe h rok

boom prinp of h word s bs or orign s wr H sid h

world os on wr lik ship Whn popl sy h i quks"

h s uly du o h roking moon of h wr. Shors

hink his prfrn my hv somhing o do wih h f h

wr hd spl sgnin in h nn osmogons of h

brws Egypins nd Bbyonins. Ths lrnd gomry

from Egypin priss nd ws probbly au fait wih Bbyonin rdiions H ud gomy from simpl sysm of murmn

ino dduiv sin On h on hnd of ours his hory ws


47/361

Ent t

dpy rdons. Wr s h smpls of h lmns w lso

omnprsn n h lvs of popl n hls vny, splly h

onn rdrs who rrd o hr ommrl vs on hs A h sm m, h Thn arhe was no mry phys ws hogh o b nmd d dvn whh nkd o myh wh

s glry of gods nd goddsss. Aordng o Arsols hrsy

on Ths hld h l hngs r fll of gods. h ws om

pbl wh h Grk propnsy o r h world lvng orgn

sm rdng nd fmlrzng s ohrnss wh rsp ohm f. Mnd nd w r boh d d kslvrsh,

ssmng n ndlss vry of forms Ths h wr hypohss

md h word nlgbl srfrndly, no p o dv s sn

plind n rms of somhng ry ommonp Th

world dos no py rks on s, so w do no hv o ply rks on Y nobody old s Thls of pnng n n ms of

how pprs o h nord y or h rlmndd brn.

wod no or o mos popl o l h nvrs.

Wh Thls hr s n nspokn prms h h mnd s so on

srd h s ry nd hrfor h bln onnon o

rh, b no n h wy h mn n h sr mgh p On ofhs ppls Anmd h s o s h wod arhe a phosophl rm, wn frhr nd rgd h vn hs w oo op

ms vw of hmn knowldg n prlr ovrsmd

h fny bwn lngg nd h word. Odysss hd shown

how y wods b md o msprsn, o mk on

wolds, fk rsms, dns nd dsgss.n dnyng hm ss o m rh Anmndr sms

o k h vw h mysry n nvr b mnd from lf nd

nr. Hs nm for h arhe ws h ndn" to apeiron, somhng whh hogh mrl, w nno vn lk bo, l lon

obsv, sggsng no ony h h world s nphosoph o h

or b lso h h whol nrprs of phlosophy s bsrd s

ponlss o dsss orgns hogh w sll go on wh h spr

l d sondr work ofdsrbng pprns. Anxmndr

on sholr spls, rlly nndd o sy h h world s know

bl b ony mysy whh hdy mks mh of n dv


48/361

8 T A R S A

on myth. h whol point ofto apeiron i that it annot b apturdin word

hi n of diloation of a diffrn bwn rality and whatw an ay about rality immrd in prSorai thought and burt

io h op wth a vga a o Dpag from ommo

n thy did, th rt pomythologial atural philoophr

ould not imply tat thir thori of how th world wa mad in

ordinary, a, proa languag h ida bing bizarr and faniful,

thir word ould hardly b pdtri Anaimn, a tudn ofAimad who wa bo abou h m ha hal w h

pm, h ha h arhe ar whih whn ad bom whn ondnd bom wind, thn loud, thn watr arth and

naly ton Air formd th arth and in it rard tat mad h

havnly bodi. Animn uggtd a ort of orrpondnbw human hg d h va omo by ma of poti

aalog. h ou wold w a mapho for h in if of ma,

and vi vra. h tar h ad mov around th th, ut a

turb wind around our had" And h dribd th un a at

lik a la Ar i th brah of th world immorta and divin a

our of god A broad lat hallow world rt on air a ha ofhal oad o wa. Amn aid ha h huma ou,

bing air, hold u togthr and ontrol u o do wind and air

nlo th whol world. h u of mtaphor wa jut about th

only way h ould hav put hi mag aro that w and th un

vr ar mad of th am tuff and play by th am rul Latr th

ida ha nf b mad fom th mroom o h maoom bam a ttd dotrin information about th on ould b

ud to inra undrtandig of th mor mytriou othr

h t btwn thought, languag and rality bom para

mount in th work of Hralitu who livd in Ephu an onian

iy of Aa Mo a ast a gnaio ar han Animn pob

aby durg h rig of Dau 1 o 487 BC Mo of th or

about Hralitu, om of thm quit piquant m to hav bn

mad up. But th lavor of hi known writing i arati lvr

nigmati prikly riddling aritorati introptiv not th work

of a ma who uff fool o mak onon o fho or pop


49/361

Ent th gs 9

ular whim Polial orrcn w no hi yl Mor h

Anaximn, Hraliu wa a o wih a o air for kng

lar of h obviou Ann ommnaor ndd o brand him anob who k h m a arm lngh by wriing in a dlibra

ly ryic ad difcu y H wa fond of concaing hi ma

hy in h languag of h Myri omland Clmn of

Alxandria Sora rmarkd ha would ak a Dlian divr o

g o h boom of h ida Admirr of Hracliu argu ha h

wro for grou and ak adul mnd o ara hmhr com a ag in on ina dvomn, ay Phii

Whlwrigh whn raliy aually nounrd m oo dark,

oo riddling, ambiguou and irrduibly manyidd o b r

bl n ordinary lan rm and omm a wll hon arado

com clor o rrning our rind viw of h world hanany logical idin an acomih If i i aradox you wan, Hr

aliu i your manCalld h dark on for hi obur bu hghly uggv aho

rim ho hrough wh an rony ha m amo la wnih

cnury n acdi owr o dconruc h familar, Hracliu

oday noy a ruaion amo gra if widly arciad in ia im Wha mak hm a hing gur i hi u of h

word Logo whih onvy h ida ha a kind of ron or mind

fuln n nar and on h am wavlngh a human

hough and undrandng Tha i xaly h conur Darwin

rfud o nrain So on ha hi docrin rovd, howvr

ha a a a h cond haf of h wnih cnuy h movmnknown a dconion hough i worhwhl o aim much of i

nllual arllry a hi ancin da of a naura cononanc a

guarad coming oghr of h ruur of h undrandng

and h ruur of h world

Originay a rm of mahmai Logo a Homr ud i ha

h n of ouning or rckoning h knd of rodur in u

bfor h arrival in Grc of fully abra dduiv raoning n

Grk h word am from h vrb [o whih arly on man ogahr and hn o collc oghr hing ha hav om con

ncion wih on anohr Wih h dvomn of ur mah


50/361

50 '

mphzing sruur and orrspondn and a onworld uni

d ordr rplaing h Homri onfuson of physi powrs d

agnis Logos aquird anohr maning a a prinipl no only ofordr bu an inlligibl ordr ha xss hroughou h univrs

and s assibl o h human mind for h xln ron ha i

s also in h human mind Logos ould aso rfr o onnd ra

sonabl sph and hough. Aording o h sholar Grvill

Hnry Logos w rs givn maphysial saus by Hraius as a

prinipl of sabliy mur and ordr in a world ha sms o bunsabl and dsordrly forvr uuaing and hrfor unrli-

abl rraional and mslading. Obviously w no alk abou h

ruh of naur unss i bhavs n a onssn fashion Logos

aording o Hralius is also h ruh of rligion h on d ony

rou o a moral xsn Evn oday somhing of h samimporan is givn o h rm by modrn hologians. n h pro-

logu o h Gospl of S John says h sholar C. H Dodd Logos

h Word is h ommand of God bu a h sam im h man-

ng plan or purpos of h univrs onivd as ransndn as

wll immann

n h wrngs of Hralius h Logos is n h knowr muh i s in h known H mphzs h immar houghlik

asps of h physial world suggsng ha h arrangmn h

sruur and rlaion of hings s mor impor han h suff

hy ar mad o Hralus hos as hs arhe h lmn of r bu

a radr migh b forgvn for supposing ha i s h Logos isf

mnds uff h Shaksparan mn of mruria hough andfany lik r aways ring is shap bng and lapng kr

ng daning gurng subsding n smoky mbrs Mor h

war or air Hraan r s a form of inlign ha srs h

world and h an afny wih h mna agliy of mn and womn

A rs gan Hraius sms o b saying ha vryhing in h

word s always n a sa of nvr sling down for an ns

subvrng h ingry oflanguag in suh a way ha s imposs

bl o say somhing dni abou anyhing h nx momn i

mgh hav hangd ino is opposi Lar Arisol showd som

mpain wih h foowrs of Hralus who bam a lirary


51/361

En 5

lsi his dah h adhns of h ga ddl aid his

pa of his don o laughabl xms spially Caylus of

Ahns who ddd ha h wold w so unsabl wods wmo o lss usss d manings, nd ommdd simpy

movig a g isad of spakig. his ws a viol afo o

Aisols o blif n h aiy of subsan h suff ha

ndus ina hough s aibus migh a, and in h impo

an of h ul ha o say Evyhng boh is and is no maks all

hings u and hfo all philosophy poinlss In fa, Aisosuggss ha Halius migh hav b simpy bowing ho ai a

his ads alking fo h sak ofking Wha a man says dos no

nssaily psn wha h blivs

his of ous w a avsy of wha Halius was aually y

ing o g aoss Wha is qui asing in his wings is no h

ubiquiy of , bu h piip of od udyig h u, h

aion inlgn ha ds h univs nsug ha som

hngs main h sam whn all s s hangig Fo Halius h

Logos supplis h hamony; i maks sns ou of h appan non

sns. Bu wh h luuang nonsns s asy o b awa o

h hidd sns is muh mo diful o fahom ad som popv do disov i. uh is o handd up on a pa Haius

psns h paadox ha Logos s unvsal ommo o al

xndig fom h mos ahs of h osmos o h umos

dphs of h human psyh and y immsd in i, shaing in i

h majoiy, v h famous ad ga do o v aliz i xiss

h ida ha uh is o hig avaab oly o a s i andha h wold is uld by a sgl piipl of od no by mulipl

gods s in som sps an aisoa pon of viw Logos is p

fly uswohy and uhful bu i is mo fom h quoidian

and h odnay. dos o opn islf o h lialmindd

baus i dos o wa maning o is sv quis ip-

aion of a spi kind muh mo inia han h laivy y

sk ofuaglng h ods of Hom On mus diph h sigs,

and ha aks ffo bains and ulu Eys and as a bad w

nsss o mn havng babaian souls a handiap of anguagsi babaias ypiay do o spak Gk


52/361

2 T R T

Languag fr Hralitus is a sign that nly hints at maning t

nals s muh t dislss lik his wn nigmati fragmnts

H spaks in nundrums smtims shruding maning rathrth illuminating t prhaps t mak th pint that languag s nt

transparn. His mpl abbrviatd sntns prss a parad:

Lgs maks th wrld intlligibl t mind, but thr is nt a tight

t btwn languag and th truth h prds his audins t sk

Natur lvs t hid and s ds Hralius bhind a ltrary man

nr that is purpsfully abstrus H put mind int th univrs asrmly as Darwin lng aftrwards was t tak it ut and fr that vry

rn th univrs nds t b intrprtd nt mrly bsrd.

Th sam gs fr languag baus it ds nt math ralty

atly a ky turns in a lk. Ths h th fft fdsngaging l

guag frm th dpst kinds f truth making t indpndnt, sparat ad slfsufint lik th rlusiv and snbbish Hralitus

hmsl

Anthr aristrati thinkr in his prim at abut th sam tim

Hralitus was Parmnids f la Lk Hralitus Parmnds

taught that rsn is th rad t truth and h lnkd rasn t lan

guag n that sns h was a blivr in th pwr f th Lgs. Atth sam tim h mad mr btrusiv th unsttling da that thr

is a mplt ruptur btwn lguag and rdnary prn

Parmnids was nt a pur ntmplativ h did prvid admirabl

laws fr Ela t with him thinking bam an abslut t was hs

arhe H w a ratinalist bliving that rasn s mr trustwrthy

than anything th snss tll us baus th snss an and d playtriks Parmnids w knwn n antiquty as Aphyiko th Antnaturalist baus h dnid that ything an b knwn by study

ing th wrks f natur H was th rst t argu in a frma fashin

dduing strang nlusns frm slfvidnt prmiss Whras

thr phlsphrs had startd with smthing familiararth

watr rh bgan wth thinking and austrly lgial thinking at

that. Fr Parmnids thught and Bing ar n and th sam Fl

w a han f rning t its invitabl nd and yu hav th truth

abut rality Sin truh is dnd as smthing that is thnkabl

and nly what is hinkabl an b Bing it is impssibl t knw r


53/361

te e g08

spak about what dos not xst o say Nothing xsts s a ontadition t is nonsns. Th wod oud not ha bn atd out of

nothing baus th is no nothing, and sin Pamnids took itfo gantd that aty s on it oud not ha bn atd out of

somthng th, sn th s no somthing s," ony what is

Any dstution of what xists is out of th qustion dstoying

woud man onting att into nothng whih s mpossib

Thfo hang annot ou. isity s a ton and samnss

us th unisn th shapst ontt to this passi sptatos w of th

wod a sot of at objt s th Gk onpt ofMes th typ ofintign that is unning and dious and shwd that is adaptd

to th pious okying fo suss n a highy omptit soity

usng ws and uss whn sh but fo is on th oth sd Annti book has bn dotd to th subjt by two shoas Ma

Dtinn and JanP Vnant who oppos this kind of inti

gnMahiaian ntgn n th oinag of modn tho-

ogiststo th phosophia band that mgs fom th wok of

Pamnids and oths who ook fo unatab o tuths bhind

th sufa phma of th wod. t is an ntign say thsauthos whih, instad of ontmpating unhanging ssns is

dity nod in th difutis of patia if with a ts isks

onfontd with a wod of host fos whh a distubng

baus thy a aways hanging and ambiguous." A tuy awin

ian situaton.

Mts onnots ai wsdom subtty dpton soufunssoppotunsm. And t woks bst n situations that a tansnt

shifting dsontng and ambguous hady th Pamnidan

unis h pont s to b fft and untuth an b of gat

sistan n ths task aso an mag, haunogns fauds

fints and iusions Zus th king of th gods, had Mtis in abun

dan baus h itay digstd it Mtis wa th nam of Zus

st wf, moth ofAthn, qua ofOdyssus n unnng. Ifsh had

bn spad, Mtis woud ha podud a son mo powfu than

Zus stong nough to topp th od man fom hs thon Zus

fostad that shm by atuay swaowing Mtis, making hm


54/361

5 H I A T A

sl mor Mahallan than al hs rals sn l trky dsgns

whrr n th osmos must rst ross hs Mtsmprgnatd

mnd. hanks to th Mts wthn hm, Zus s now owarnd oythng, whthr good o bad, that s n stor or hm

Th Trojan Hors s Mts So ar th dsguss o Odyssus who

h bn lknd to an otopus, th ratur omany ols that loaks

ts prsn by adoptng th olor and shap o th rok to whh t

lngs n th Mnlaus an tak by surprs rotus th god

o my shaps, th oan dnty th annt o th salt sa,rrutng hm s a gud or hs homward oyag only by mpos

tu, by dapng hmsl and hs ompanons n salskns, o o

tus w ry partal to ss a stong dsgus; oh ys trbly

strong rall th stnh o thos damnd sals Would any m

l snug wth a sa monstr? Thank goodnss th daughtr o rotus took pty and dabbd ambrosa undr ah mans nos, a pr

um drownng out th bstal odor. Whn you ar dalng wth a

kaldosop god, bng obous and truthul wll not gt you ry

ar You nd Mts, and plnty o t

Th manyood shmmrng natu o Mts s a mak o ts

knshp wth th ddd shtng world o multplty n th mdsto whh t oprats Dtnn and Vrnant wrt ts suppnss

and mallablty g t th tory n domans whr thr ar no

radymad ruls or suss, no stablshd mthods but whr

ah nw tral dmands th nnton o nw ploys th dsory o

a way out oro that s hddn. Conrsly, th ambguous, ds

parat unstabl ralts wth whh mn attmpt to om to grpsmay, n myth tak on th appaan o poymoph monstrs,

powrs o mtamorphoss whh dlght n th unnng to dsap

pont all xptatons and onstantly to bal th mnds o mn."

Th nun o ar mn ds on latr phlosophrs was mmns

spally n log and dalts but hs bnt or arryng logal

argumnts to bzarr xtrms lt a lgay o playulnss a tast or

nonsrous trng wth th mahnry o thought that was to pro

dply subs t s a short stp om sayng thnkng s Bng

to takng th poston that y s anythng w say t s, a tah

ous ap toward anahy guag boms mor autonomous and


55/361

ogos 5

orgn than anythng n th thought of Hraltu. Fl Cl a

ontator on th prSorat philoophr on a word to

drb Parnd a glooorph oon who dngaglguag fro thought t how that languag wild a frghtful

way or an.

Hr th Logo h old nto othng qut rot fro th

ida of a natural attunnt a prtablhd harony btwn

on knd of ntllgn and anothr Languag whh n Hraltu

ndd a pal knd of ntrprtaton f th tuth to rg habo an ndpndnt ntty abl to ak hay of our ot on

dnt aupton about ryday ralty. Parnd ay tho

aupton howr uful ar l. Thy ar ton hr

fla Th ordnary pron rpl that f thy ar fa thy ar

abolutly indpnabl for noral funtonng n th world. What to ha happnd that aftr th planation of thphyskowho took a ular w of a world prouly n through th appa

ratu of yth and dinity Hralitu and Parnd ga abun

dant ondraton to it athti haratr Anan ut ha

bn thnkng n th a tr whn h ud uh powrful ltr

ary artllry. Parnd wa a pot d Hraltu wrot anythngbut proaly Ltn to th ual quality of h diton Mort

ar ortal and ortal ar ortal th on ling th othr

dath and dyng th othr lf Hraltu ad God undrgo

altraton n th way that r whn t d wth p nad

aordng to th nt of ah of th.

Myl Burnyat profor of annt phloophy at th Unrityof Cabrdg thnk Hraltu lk any a odrn bard dlbr

atly pok n rddl o a to ak u fa up to th difulty of

grapng unfalar truth lurkng bhnd d that w tak a ob

u That ay b why h writng lik potry way trainng

agant th lt of n nr o daphanou to allow t on

tnt to b apturd ply by paraphraing it in dffrnt word Th

pgra of Hraltu y n th fa of a nturiold tradton nWtrn philoophy that thr a lo afnty btwn ltral

anng d truth On holar aintan that w ut rad th

not a nght into th on raty but rathr wido a arh


56/361

5 6 H R T

fo commo udstadig hs vw w to uc boh Pao

ad Astot, ad th da that phosophrs sk udstadg as

much as tuth is o that rmas attractiv.Othr commtators ar ot so sur hy do ot shar th opi

io that truth is icdtal to ad sparat from udrstadig

Plato w o grat champio of commo ss but h was uhap

py with a tdcy i part a ractio agaist th way th doctris

ofParmids higd so crucially o a poi oflaguag to ssum

that laguag ca b mad to do aythg w wat it o do, hat aliy s wha w thk o say it s h mssag of Pamids s that

h oly way w c kow th structur of ralty is va th structur

of thought ad lagag. But if a clvr logici ca play such gams

with laguag to mak o aspct of th world itlligib at th

ps of mg vythig ls look lk oss what hsbcom of th Logos that guarats as a mtaphysical pricipl

tha ou mds a tu wth h tuth of th wold?

oaha Bas, pofssor of acit phosophy at Oford,ags tha som of Pamids agumts a patty fas for

ampl th appartly prvrs statmt If somthig dos ot

st t caot st H writs that th whol systm rsts o asad foudatio Stil Bars modrats his crticism by sayg

w should ot igor th sductiv powrs that crtai falshoods

may hav wh thy ar statd iformay ordiary Egish or i

odary Grk o sduc of cous, suggsts a lmt of aic

ad dvous alur of plus tha hav a udto of h icit,

of Cicik dssmblig ad th cstig of sps ov th atioalmd Summig up, Bars ssrts that Parmids was wrog w

ca ad do talk ad thk of thgs that do ot st Wh did you

last mto th tooth fary? But h gos o to commd th Elat

ic philosophr just th sam for rasos that ar cadidly asthtic

tratig Parmids if h wr a artist or a wavr of litrary

mags. s ids, says Bas a ot my atiu hibis i th

oomy musum of phlosophcal fos: h agumts h adducs,

though usoud ar igious ad admirab thr cocusio,

though fas has a strag pausibiity ad attractivss Aristotl

himslf suggstd that Parmids coud oy b tak sriously if

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