Morality and Free Thought (translated from the Revue des duex Mondes) [pp. 494-513]

1875.1 MORALITY AND FREE THOUGHT. 513
shows a certain hostility towards the religion from which he
takes the example of its dogmas, its symbols, its sacraments,
and which, even in the eyes of the adversaries of all religion, is
the form of religion par excellence? Why does he say that
humility is a doubtful and suspicious virtue? If he means
thereby to insinuate that humility is often a mask, under which
are hidden very bad intentions, we would ask h?m what is the
virtue of which human perversity has not made, as Moli~re said,
trade and merchandise? Why does he say that Buddhist morality is equal to the Christian morality? It is useless to contest
the signification of Nirvana, as Eugene Burnouf has given it;
all question of erudition aside, it is sufficient to compare the
results, that is the civilizations, to comprehend that Buddha
taught a doctrine of death, and Christ a doctrine of life. Finally,
why does he upbraid Christianity with having weakened the
sentiment of duty, and prepared people for servitude? On this
point there has already been a celebrated discussion in the history of ideas. Bayle insisted that the Christian religion could
make neither soldiers nor heroes, and Montesquieu, in a chapter
of the Spirit of Laws, refuted this with energy. Diderot, himself, writing the article Christianity for the Encyclopedia, encountered the paradox of Bayle, as well as the refutation of
Montesquieu; he espoused the philosophy of the Spirit of
Laws, and as a pupil repeats a lesson, reproduced exactly the
words of the master. I do not attempt to explain why M.
Janet takes up to-day the opinion of Bayle without taking account of the response of Montesquieu, gathered up and confin~ed by Diderot. It is enough to ask the eminent moralist to
think of these matters again, to submit them to his delicate
analysis, and he will be the one who will find the best arguments for the support of the cause sustained by Montesquieu.
[We omit for want of space the interesting discussion on the relation of in~tinct to intelligence, at the close of this article. J