But　that　is　not　all；　that　is　not　his　worst　defect；　his　worst
  defect　is　his　perpetual　moral　obliquity；　perpetualfrom　the　days
  of　the　Flood　to　the　Schleswig…Holstein　period。　　Moral　obliquity
  and　consequently　lack　of　good　sense；　for　it　has　long　been
  accepted　that　lack　of　good　sense　is　due　to　no　other　cause　than
  moral　obliquity。　　Put　it　to　the　test　and　cast　your　eyes　upon　the
  history　of　mankind。　　What　will　you　see？　　Is　it　a　grand　spectacle？
  Grand；　if　you　like。　　Take　the　Colossus　of　Rhodes；　for　instance；
  that's　worth　something。　　With　good　reason　Mr。　Anaevsky　testifies
  of　it　that　some　say　that　it　is　the　work　of　man's　hands；　while
  others　maintain　that　it　has　been　created　by　nature　herself。　　Is
  it　many…coloured？　　　May　be　it　is　many…coloured；　too：　if　one　takes
  the　dress　uniforms；　military　and　civilian；　of　all　peoples　in　all
  agesthat　alone　is　worth　something；　and　if　you　take　the　undress
  uniforms　you　will　never　get　to　the　end　of　it；　no　historian　would
  be　equal　to　the　job。　　Is　it　monotonous？　　　May　be　it's　monotonous
  too：　it's　fighting　and　fighting；　they　are　fighting　now；　they
  fought　first　and　they　fought　lastyou　will　admit；　that　it　is
  almost　too　monotonous。　　In　short；　one　may　say　anything　about　the
  history　of　the　worldanything　that　might　enter　the　most
  disordered　imagination。　　The　only　thing　one　can't　say　is　that
  it's　rational。　　The　very　word　sticks　in　one's　throat。　　And；
  indeed；　this　is　the　odd　thing　that　is　continually　happening：
  there　are　continually　turning　up　in　life　moral　and　rational
  persons；　sages　and　lovers　of　humanity　who　make　it　their　object　to
  live　all　their　lives　as　morally　and　rationally　as　possible；　to
  be；　so　to　speak；　a　light　to　their　neighbours　simply　in　order　to
  show　them　that　it　is　possible　to　live　morally　and　rationally　in
  this　world。　　And　yet　we　all　know　that　those　very　people　sooner　or
  later　have　been　false　to　themselves；　playing　some　queer　trick；
  often　a　most　unseemly　one。　　Now　I　ask　you：　what　can　be　expected
  of　man　since　he　is　a　being　endowed　with　strange　qualities？
  Shower　upon　him　every　earthly　blessing；　drown　him　in　a　sea　of
  happiness；　so　that　nothing　but　bubbles　of　bliss　can　be　seen　on
  the　surface；　give　him　economic　prosperity；　such　that　he　should
  have　nothing　else　to　do　but　sleep；　eat　cakes　and　busy　himself
  with　the　continuation　of　his　species；　and　even　then　out　of　sheer
  ingratitude；　sheer　spite；　man　would　play　you　some　nasty　trick。
  He　would　even　risk　his　cakes　and　would　deliberately　desire　the
  most　fatal　rubbish；　the　most　uneconomical　absurdity；　simply　to
  introduce　into　all　this　positive　good　sense　his　fatal　fantastic
  element。　It　is　just　his　fantastic　dreams；　his　vulgar　folly　that
  he　will　desire　to　retain；　simply　in　order　to　prove　to　himselfas
  though　that　were　so　necessarythat　men　still　are　men　and　not　the
  keys　of　a　piano；　which　the　laws　of　nature　threaten　to　control　so
  completely　that　soon　one　will　be　able　to　desire　nothing　but　by
  the　calendar。　　And　that　is　not　all：　even　if　man　really　were
  nothing　but　a　piano…key；　even　if　this　were　proved　to　him　by
  natural　science　and　mathematics；　even　then　he　would　not　become
  reasonable；　but　would　purposely　do　something　perverse　out　of
  simple　ingratitude；　simply　to　gain　his　point。　　And　if　he　does　not
  find　means　he　will　contrive　destruction　and　chaos；　will　contrive
  sufferings　of　all　sorts；　only　to　gain　his　point！　　He　will　launch
  a　curse　upon　the　world；　and　as　only　man　can　curse　（it　is　his
  privilege；　the　primary　distinction　between　him　and　other
  animals）；　may　be　by　his　curse　alone　he　will　attain　his
  objectthat　is；　convince　himself　that　he　is　a　man　and　not　a
  piano…key！　　　If　you　say　that　all　this；　too；　can　be　calculated　and
  tabulatedchaos　and　darkness　and　curses；　so　that　the　mere
  possibility　of　calculating　it　all　beforehand　would　stop　it　all；
  and　reason　would　reassert　itself；　then　man　would　purposely　go　mad
  in　order　to　be　rid　of　reason　and　gain　his　point！　　I　believe　in
  it；　I　answer　for　it；　for　the　whole　work　of　man　really　seems　to
  consist　in　nothing　but　proving　to　himself　every　minute　that　he　is
  a　man　and　not　a　piano…key！　　　It　may　be　at　the　cost　of　his　skin；
  it　may　be　by　cannibalism！　　And　this　being　so；　can　one　help　being
  tempted　to　rejoice　that　it　has　not　yet　come　off；　and　that　desire
  still　depends　on　something　we　don't　know？
  You　will　scream　at　me　（that　is；　if　you　condescend　to　do　so）　that
  no　one　is　touching　my　free　will；　that　all　they　are　concerned　with
  is　that　my　will　should　of　itself；　of　its　own　free　will；　coincide
  with　my　own　normal　interests；　with　the　laws　of　nature　and
  arithmetic。
  Good　heavens；　gentlemen；　what　sort　of　free　will　is　left　when　we
  come　to　tabulation　and　arithmetic；　when　it　will　all　be　a　case　of
  twice　two　make　four？　　Twice　two　makes　four　without　my　will。　　As
  if　free　will　meant　that！
  IX
  Gentlemen；　I　am　joking；　and　I　know　myself　that　my　jokes　are　not
  brilliant；but　you　know　one　can　take　everything　as　a　joke。　　I　am；
  perhaps；　jesting　against　the　grain。　　Gentlemen；　I　am　tormented　by
  questions；　answer　them　for　me。　　You；　for　instance；　want　to　cure
  men　of　their　old　habits　and　reform　their　will　in　accordance　with
  science　and　good　sense。　　But　how　do　you　know；　not　only　that　it　is
  possible；　but　also　that　it　is　_desirable_　to　reform　man　in　that
  way？　　And　what　leads　you　to　the　conclusion　that　man's
  inclinations　_need_　reforming？　　In　short；　how　do　you　know　that
  such　a　reformation　will　be　a　benefit　to　man？　　And　to　go　to　the
  root　of　the　matter；　why　are　you　so　positively　convinced　that　not
  to　act　against　his　real　normal　interests　guaranteed　by　the
  conclusions　of　reason　and　arithmetic　is　certainly　always
  advantageous　for　man　and　must　always　be　a　law　for　mankind？　　So
  far；　you　know；　this　is　only　your　supposition。　　It　may　be　the　law
  of　logic；　but　not　the　law　of　humanity。　　You　think；　gentlemen；
  perhaps　that　I　am　mad？　　Allow　me　to　defend　myself。　　I　agree　that
  man　is　pre…eminently　a　creative　animal；　predestined　to　strive
  consciously　for　an　object　and　to　engage　in　engineeringthat　is；
  incessantly　and　eternally　to　make　new　roads；　_wherever　they　may
  lead_。　　But　the　reason　why　he　wants　sometimes　to　go　off　at　a
  tangent　may　just　be　that　he　is　_predestined_　to　make　the　road；
  and　perhaps；　too；　that　however　stupid　the　〃direct〃　practical　man
  may　be；　the　thought　sometimes　will　occur　to　him　that　the　road
  almost　always　does　lead　_somewhere_；　and　that　the　destination　it
  leads　to　is　less　important　than　the　process　of　making　it；　and
  that　the　chief　thing　is　to　save　the　well…conducted　child　from
  despising　engineering；　and　so　giving　way　to　the　fatal　idleness；
  which；　as　we　all　know；　is　the　mother　of　all　the　vices。　　Man　likes
  to　make　roads　and　to　create；　that　is　a　fact　beyond　dispute。　　But
  why　has　he　such　a　passionate　love　for　destruction　and　chaos　also？
  Tell　me　that！　　But　on　that　point　I　want　to　say　a　couple　of　words
  myself。　　May　it　not　be　that　he　loves　chaos　and　destruction　（there
  can　be　no　disputing　that　he　does　sometimes　love　it）　because　he　is
  instinctively　afraid　of　attaining　his　object　and　completing　the
  edifice　he　is　constructing？　　Who　knows；　perhaps　he　only　loves
  that　edifice　from　a　distance；　and　is　by　no　means　in　love　with　it
  at　close　quarters；　perhaps　he　only　loves　building　it　and　does　not
  want　to　live　in　it；　but　will　leave　it；　when　completed；　for　the
  use　of　les　animaux　domestiquessuch　as　the　ants；　the　sheep；　and
  so　on。　　Now　the　ants　have　quite　a　different　taste。　　They　have　a
  marvellous　edifice　of　that　pattern　which　endures　for　everthe
  ant…heap。
  With　the　ant…heap　the　respectable　race　of　ants　began　and　with　the
  ant…heap　they　will　probably　end；　which　does　the　greatest　credit
  to　their　perseverance　and　good　sense。　　But　man　is　a　frivolous　and
  incongruous　creature；　and　perhaps；　like　a　chess　player；　loves　the
  process　of　the　game；　not　the　end　of　it。　　And　who　knows　（there　is
  no　saying　with　certainty）；　perhaps　the　only　goal　on　earth　to
  which　mankind　is　striving　lies　in　this　incessant　process　of
  attaining；　in　other　words；　in　life　itself；　and　not　in　the　thing
  to　be　attained；　which　must　always　be　expressed　as　a　formula；　as
  positive　as　twice　two　makes　four；　and　such　positiveness　is　not
  life；　gentlemen；　but　is　the　beginning　of　death。　　Anyway；　man　has
  always　been　afraid　of　this　mathematical　certainty；　and　I　am
  afraid　of　it　now。　　Granted　that　man　does　nothing　but　seek　that
  mathematical　certainty；　he　traverses　oceans；　sacrifices　his　life
  in　the　quest；　but　to　succeed；　really　to　find　it；　dreads；　I　assure
  you。　　He　feels　that　when　he　has　found　it　there　will　be　nothing
  for　him　to　look　for。　　When　workmen　have　finished　their　work　they
  do　at　least　receive　their　pay；　they　go　to　the　tavern；　then　they
  are　taken　to　the　police…stationand　there　is　occupation　for　a
  week。　　But　where　can　man　go？　　Anyway；　one　can　observe　a　certain
  awkwardness　about　him　when　he　has　attained　such　objects。　　He
  loves　the　process　of　attaining；　but　does　not　quite　like　to　have
  attained；　and　that；　of　course；　is　very