Bai Jin Translation Complete Collection, Volume 10

Author: Kropotkin (Russian)
Publisher:
Publication Date: 1997-06-01
Features: Excerpt: It is not enough to say that the great progress made in all sciences in the middle of the 19th century exceeded what had been achieved in the past three or four centuries. We must go back two thousand years to the glorious period of the revival of Greek philosophy to find another such era, an era of intellectual awakening. Moreover, even this comparison is not entirely appropriate, because in the early stages of human history, our ancestors did not possess the miraculous power of all the industrial technologies we use today. The development of such technologies has finally given humans the opportunity to liberate themselves from the toil of slavery. At the same time, modern humans, inspired by recent scientific discoveries, have also developed a youthful and bold spirit of invention. Moreover, these successive inventions have increased the productivity of human labor to such an extent that modern civilization enjoys comforts that were unimaginable to ancient or medieval people, or even to those in the early 19th century. Humanity has begun to realize that its productive capacity not only meets but exceeds its needs—a groundbreaking moment in the history of civilization. Therefore, it will no longer be necessary to plunge the majority of humanity into misery and degradation to ensure the comfort and spiritual advancement of a few, as has been the practice throughout history. The happiness of all is indeed achievable—and to ensure the happiness of all, there is no need to impose the oppressive, decadent, and soul-crushing burden of servitude on anyone. Humanity has finally been able to rebuild their entire social life on the foundation of justice. Whether modern civilized nations possess the social construction ability, creativity, and courage to utilize the fruits of human intellect for the benefit of all—this is difficult to predict. Whether our modern civilization has enough vitality to undertake such a great task and achieve the desired goals—this too cannot be predicted. However, the recent revival of science has created the mental atmosphere necessary to generate such vitality, and it has also given us the knowledge required to fulfill this great mission. From the time of ancient Greece to Bacon, sound natural philosophy had been largely neglected until Bacon awakened scientific research from its long slumber, after which modern science gradually returned to sound natural philosophy. From then on, modern science has produced various elements of a cosmic philosophy that is free from supernatural hypotheses and metaphysical "myths of ideas." This philosophy is so great, so poetic, so inspiring, and so imbued with the spirit of freedom that it is certain to give rise to new strength. Humans no longer need to clothe their ideals of moral beauty and the ideal of a just society in the garb of superstition. They no longer need to wait for high wisdom to reshape society. They can derive their ideals from nature and gain the strength necessary to realize them from the study of natural life.
Afterword: Preface by Shu Ji: Ethics was my earliest translation, but it is also very suitable to be included in Volume 10. The author of this book only began to feel the necessity of establishing ethics in his later years. For most of his life, he lived in exile abroad and returned to Russia after the Russian Revolution, settling in Petrovskoye Village outside Moscow. Under extremely difficult conditions with scarce resources, he diligently wrote the ethics he felt was urgently needed. At that time, he was already old and ill, and the first volume was not yet completed, while the second volume had only just begun when he passed away. This book was published by his friends after his death. However, we know that the author had long been concerned with moral issues. The first part of Ethics deals with the origin and development of ethics, while the second part—the most important part—is on moral norms and their goals. Morality is not an academic discipline; it is the way of being human, the pillar of society. The author believed that the foundation of morality lies in the development of social instincts. The three elements that constitute morality are also three stages: first, mutual concern and mutual help, which is the social instinct; second, justice and fairness, which are the norms of human interaction; third, self-sacrifice and self-dedication, which is morality. I share this view. I often quote the words of the French philosopher Guyau, that each of us has more sympathy and love than is needed to sustain our existence, and we should share it with others. This is when life blooms. (Paraphrased) Therefore, the highest goal of moral norms is self-sacrifice. A person can only live a long life by dedicating their life to society and to the people. Morality is not only altruistic but also egoistic; self-sacrifice benefits not only others but also oneself. The meaning of life lies in self-sacrifice. Each of us needs life to bloom, and each tree needs rain to nourish it. Without society, we will wither. With morality, life will bloom. When this book was included in the complete works this time, my old friend Cheng Shi carefully proofread it again, and I am grateful to him for his efforts. Ba Jin, February 23, 1996