And how do these wiseacres know

that man wants a normal, a virtuous choice? What has made them

conceive that man must want a rationally advantageous choice? What

man wants is simply INDEPENDENT choice, whatever that independence

may cost and wherever it may lead. And choice, of course, the devil

only knows what choice.

VIII

"Ha! ha! ha! But you know there is no such thing as choice in reality, say

what you like," you will interpose with a chuckle. "Science has succeeded

in so far analysing man that we know already that choice and

what is called freedom of will is nothing else than--"

Stay, gentlemen, I meant to begin with that myself I confess, I was

rather frightened. I was just going to say that the devil only knows what

choice depends on, and that perhaps that was a very good thing, but I

remembered the teaching of science ... and pulled myself up. And here

you have begun upon it. Indeed, if there really is some day discovered a

formula for all our desires and caprices--that is, an explanation of what

they depend upon, by what laws they arise, how they develop, what they

are aiming at in one case and in another and so on, that is a real

mathematical formula--then, most likely, man will at once cease to feel

desire, indeed, he will be certain to. For who would want to choose by

rule? Besides, he will at once be transformed from a human being into

an organ-stop or something of the sort; for what is a man without desires,

without free will and without choice, if not a stop in an organ? What do

you think? Let us reckon the chances--can such a thing happen or not?

"H'm!" you decide. "Our choice is usually mistaken from a false view

of our advantage. We sometimes choose absolute nonsense because in

our foolishness we see in that nonsense the easiest means for attaining a

supposed advantage. But when all that is explained and worked out on

paper (which is perfectly possible, for it is contemptible and senseless to

suppose that some laws of nature man will never understand), then

certainly so-called desires will no longer exist. For if a desire should come

into conflict with reason we shall then reason and not desire, because it

will be impossible retaining our reason to be SENSELESS in our desires, and

in that way knowingly act against reason and desire to injure ourselves.

And as all choice and reasoning can be really calculated--because there

will some day be discovered the laws of our so-called free will--so, joking

apart, there may one day be something like a table constructed of them,

so that we really shall choose in accordance with it. If, for instance, some

day they calculate and prove to me that I made a long nose at someone

because I could not help making a long nose at him and that I had to do it

in that particular way, what FREEDOM is left me, especially if I am a learned

man and have taken my degree somewhere? Then I should be able to

calculate my whole life for thirty years beforehand. In short, if this could

be arranged there would be nothing left for us to do; anyway, we should

have to understand that. And, in fact, we ought unwearyingly to repeat to

ourselves that at such and such a time and in such and such circumstances

nature does not ask our leave; that we have got to take her as she is

and not fashion her to suit our fancy, and if we really aspire to formulas

and tables of rules, and well, even ... to the chemical retort, there's no

help for it, we must accept the retort too, or else it will be accepted

without our consent ...."

Yes, but here I come to a stop! Gentlemen, you must excuse me for being

over-philosophical; it's the result of forty years underground! Allow me to

indulge my fancy. You see, gentlemen, reason is an excellent thing, there's

no disputing that, but reason is nothing but reason and satisfies only

the rational side of man's nature, while will is a manifestation of the whole

life, that is, of the whole human life including reason and all the impulses.

And although our life, in this manifestation of it, is often worthless, yet

it is life and not simply extracting square roots. Here I, for instance,

quite naturally want to live, in order to satisfy all my capacities for

life, and not simply my capacity for reasoning, that is, not simply one

twentieth of my capacity for life. What does reason know? Reason only

knows what it has succeeded in learning (some things, perhaps, it will

never learn; this is a poor comfort, but why not say so frankly?) and

human nature acts as a whole, with everything that is in it, consciously

or unconsciously, and, even if it goes wrong, it lives. I suspect,

gentlemen, that you are looking at me with compassion; you tell me

again that an enlightened and developed man, such, in short, as the

future man will be, cannot consciously desire anything disadvantageous

to himself, that that can be proved mathematically. I thoroughly agree, it

can--by mathematics. But I repeat for the hundredth time, there is one

case, one only, when man may consciously, purposely, desire what is

injurious to himself, what is stupid, very stupid--simply in order to have

the right to desire for himself even what is very stupid and not to be

bound by an obligation to desire only what is sensible. Of course, this

very stupid thing, this caprice of ours, may be in reality, gentlemen,

more advantageous for us than anything else on earth, especially in

certain cases. And in particular it may be more advantageous than any

advantage even when it does us obvious harm, and contradicts the

soundest conclusions of our reason concerning our advantage--for in

any circumstances it preserves for us what is most precious and most

important--that is, our personality, our individuality. Some, you see,

maintain that this really is the most precious thing for mankind; choice

can, of course, if it chooses, be in agreement with reason; and especially

if this be not abused but kept within bounds. It is profitable and sometimes

even praiseworthy. But very often, and even most often, choice is

utterly and stubbornly opposed to reason ...