第16章 権力哲学, n.8 - 狂人と認定されていない「狂人」
このような事態を理解するためには,我々は権力哲学と社会生活との関係を考察しなければならない。これは(この関係は),これまでそうだと思われてきたよりもずっと複雑である。 |
Chapter 16: Power Philosphies, n.8The love of power is a part of normal human nature, but power-philosophies are, in a certain precise sense, insane. The existence of the external world, both that of matter and that of other human beings, is a datum, which may be humiliating to a certain kind of pride, but can only be denied by a madman. Men who allow their love of power to give them a distorted view of the world are to be found in every asylum: one man will think he is the Governor of the Bank of England, another will think he is the King, and yet another will think he is God. Highly similar delusions, if expressed by educated men in obscure language, lead to professorships of philosophy ; and if expressed by emotional men in eloquent language, lead to dictatorships. Certified lunatics are shut up because of their proneness to violence when their pretensions are questioned; the uncertified variety are given the control of powerful armies, and can inflict death and disaster upon all sane men within their reach. The success of insanity, in literature, in philosophy, and in politics, is one of the peculiarities of our age, and the successful form of insanity proceeds almost entirely from impulses towards power.To understand this situation, we must consider the relation of power philosophies to social life, which is more complex than might have been expected. |