84 polities admitsthatequality is theideal,andinmanycasesis genuinelywillingtoseeitestablished.Evenwhenheis opposedtopracticalequalitarianpoliciesherationalises hisoppositionasduenot toethicalbut tofactual, for exampleeconomic,considerations.And in factsocialists makethesameadmission,onthesamegrounds.Thefascistsarenowalmosttheonlypeoplewhoproclaiminequal- ityasright,andthiswasfoundsoshockingthatbourgeois andproletarianformedaunitedfrontagainstthem. Weareapproachingauniversal,humanethic.Marxists betrayintheirnon-politicalconduct,andintheirpolitical propagandaexceptwhentheyareindulgingintheoretical disquisitions,thattheybelieveinthisethic.Theyarein factfreerthanmostmenfromprimitivesuperstition,ideas ofinequality,andnationalprejudice,thechiefsourcesof oppositiontothisethic.ThereisnoreasonthenWhythey shouldnotadmit it. HowMayWeEscapeAnarchy? It isstrikingthatnoMarxistauthorhaseverdiscussed ethicsasnonnative,asvalid(exceptLenin).FromEngels on,mostMarxiantheoristshavediscussedthesubject,but alwaysinthespiritofethicalneutrality: it isethicsasa socialphenomenon,public,casualydetermined,changing. Butthepracticalyimportantquestionaboutethicsisnot howorwhyitchanges,butwhatisvalidin it whatprin- cipleswillhelpmetodecidewhat Iamtodonow.And fromthispointofviewethicsasasocialphenomenonis inprinciplenoguide.Whatothershavebelieved,and evenbelievenow,doesnottellmewhat Ioughttobelieve. Whatothersbelieveis amerepsychologicalfact, from which,unassisted,therecanbenoinferenceastowhat oughttobethecase. Thisisnotmereabstracttheory.Majoritiesaresome- timeswrong.Perhapssometimeseverybodyiswrong.SupposetheAxishadwonthewar;thenaftersometimeprob- ablyamajorityoftheworld'spopulationwouldhaveheld wrongbeliefsonanumberofethicalquestions. Thustheprevailingview,theconsensus,"working-clac morality " orwhatnot,hasnoauthorityof its.awn.No principleisvalidformeuntil Ihaveincorporatedit into mysystemofbeliefs,thatis,myconsciencehasapproved of T it h. eauthorityof theconsciencemustnotbeconfused withtheinfallibility of theconscience,whichisanarchy. Theconscienceisauthoritativeinethicsinthesameway observationisauthoritativeinscience:unchecked,it isnot infalible,but it isultimatelytheonlysourceofinformation. To renderconsistentandacceptableourjudgements inthesematersisthebusinessofethicaltheory,whichis notoriouslyvoluminous,disputedandinconclusive. Al l thatisclaimedisthattheconscienceislogicalynecessary. Thisshouldbeobviousaboveall tomaterialists.Hegel- ianscanafordtodespisetheconsciencebecausetheyhave othersourcesof informationonthematter:theyknow thattheDemiurgeisworkingforthemandthattheReal istheReasonable.MaterialismknowsnoDemiurge, thoughfromMarxistphilosophicalwritingonewouldalmostsuspectthecontrary,andhastoacquireitsknowledge onthisasonothermatersin thepainful,step-by-step, humanway. ObviouslyatheorywhichstressestheindividualconBibliotecaGinoBianco sciencewilltendtostressliberty,whereasHegelianethics istheethicsoftotalitarianism.This issurelyanimportantrecommendation.Buthowdoesthisconscience-ethics escapeanarchism? I recommendtheproblemtothedialecticians. . . . Afurthergreatbenefitoftheconsciencetypeofethical systemisthat it allowsofchangewhenchangeisneces- sary.SomemodernMarxists,suchasBernal,havewrittenas if theconsciencewereawholyconservativein- fluence.Theyaremistaken: it istheindividualconscience whichsaveshumansocietyfromthefateoftheant-hill. ThusProf.Levyiscertainlywrongwhenhedeniesthat "it is 'my'consciencethat tellsmewhetherthis is right orwrong".Theconscienceisinfluencedbysociety,but it isnotwhollysocial.But is itpossiblethatheis justa littleaheadofhistime?Thattheconsciencesoonwillbe obsoleteif it isnotsoyet?Kautskythinksso: "Itwas theMaterialistConceptionofHistorywhich. . .taughtus todeduceoursocialaimssolelyfromtheknowledgeofthe materialfoundations."(EthicsandtheMaterialistConceptionofHistory, Kerredn.p.201)Bernaldoesnotassert that it isyetso,butdemandsthat itbemadeso.Hecondemnsas"distortion"the"distinctionbetweentheworldof factandtheworldofvalues",andclaimsthat"Sciencemust havesomethingtosaynotonlyonhowvaluescanbe achievedbutalsoonourappreciationofvalues,andon thevalidityofthevaluesthemselves." (ScienceandEthics, ed.byWaddington,pp.115-7) Doubtlessthereisnothingultimatelybeyondthereach ofscience.But theemotionalconstitutionofmanis still outofourreach.Wehavenotyetdevisedapulchrometer toregisterthebeautyofapoem.Whenwehavedonethat weshal believethatsciencecandetermine"thevalidity ofvalues."Meanwhileweareleft toourolddevices. THEINSOLENCEOFOFFICE Thedemandthataninvitation to testifybeextendedtoMr.Ford wasmadebyRep.FredL.Crawford(R.,Mich.). "It'sgoingpretty far,"hesaid,whenthePresidentof theUnitedStatesatacksanin- dustrylikeGeneralMotorsandwhentheheadofOPAattacksMr. HenryFordH." N.Y.WorldTelegram,Feb.20. THEMILITARYMIND:DemocraticVistas FRANKFURT:FollowingthediscoverythatGermanSocialistswere takingadvantageof thenew-founddemocraticfreedomofspeechto denouncethePotsdamDeclaration,Gen.LuciusClay,deputyU.S. militarygovernor,calledtogethertheGermanminister-presidentsof theAmericanzone.Freecriticism,hetoldthemisdefinitelyapart ofthedemocraticformofgovernment,but thetime for fulluseof democraticprerogativeshasnotyetcome. "Wewouldmuchprefer that theminister-presidentspreventsuch occurrencesvoluntarilythanthat itbecomenecessaryfor themilitary governmenttotakeothermeasures,"Gen.Claytoldthem. N.Y.WorldTelegram,Jan.9. (2) Sir: I havelearnedwithsurprisethatinitsJanuary7editorialcolumn theChroniclewrotethat"thousandsofJapaneseschoolbooksarebeingburnedontheorderofGeneralMacArthur."We areentirely in accordwithyourbelief thatideascannotbedestroyedbybookbonfires.Noschoolbooksoranyotherbookshavebeenorwillbeburned onGeneralMacArthur'sorder. . . .Suchis thepapershortagein Japanit wouldbefoolish toburnthesebooks.As youwillseein AnnexA(attached),theyaretobepulpedinorderthatpapermay bemanufacturedfornewschoolbooks. —FRAYNEBAKER,Brigadier-General,PublicRelationsOfficer, PacificTheatre. LettertoeditoroftheSanFranciscoChronicle,Jan.28.
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