Dominations and Powers: Reflections on Liberty, Society, and Government PDF
Preview Dominations and Powers: Reflections on Liberty, Society, and Government
JUJE S With a new introduction by John McCormick ^H >^ II^UM AND Reflections on Liberty, Society and Government r/ /^^0^/ry: JC\ ^^?- 3?c? y^y "Z DOMINATIONS POWERS AND * By George Santayana AND GOVERNMENT THE IDEA OF CHRIST IN THE GOSPELS OR GOD IN MAN PERSONS AND PLACES: THE BACKGROUND OF MY LIFE THE MIDDLE SPAN VOLUME TWO OF PERSONS AND PLACES : REALMS OF BEING THE REALM OF SPIRIT THE REALM OF TRUTH THE PHILOSOPHY OF SANTAYANA: SELECTIONS FROM THE WORKS OF GEORGE SANTAYANA OBITER SCRIPTA: LECTURES, ESSAYS AND REVIEWS THE LAST puritan: A MEMOIR IN THE FORM OF A NOVEL SOME TURNS OF THOUGHT IN MODERN PHILOSOPHY THE GENTEEL TRADITION AT BAY THE REALM OF ESSENCE THE REALM OF MATTER PLATONISM AND THE SPIRITUAL LIFE DIALOGUES IN LIMBO POEMS SCEPTICISM AND ANIMAL FAITH SOLILOQUIES IN ENGLAND AND LATER SOLILOQUIES CHARACTER AND OPINION IN THE UNITED STATES THE SENSE OF BEAUTY INTERPRETATIONS OF POETRY AND RELIGION THE HERMIT OF CARMEL AND OTHER POEMS WINDS OF DOCTRINE THE LIFE OF REASON OR THE PHASES OF HUMAN PROGRESS : I. Introduction and Reason in Common Sense II. Reason in Society III. Reason in Religion IV. Reason in Art V. Reason in Science LITTLE ESSAYS DRAWN FROM THE WORKS OF GEORGE SANTAYANA By Logan Pearsall Smith, with the collaboration of theauthor. GEORGE SANTAYANA With a new introduction by John McCormick DOMINATIONS POWERS AND Reflections on Liberty, Society, and Government I o Transaction Publishers NewBrunswick(U.S.A.) andLondon(U.K.) New material this edition copyright © 1995 by Transaction Publish- ers,NewBrunswick,NewJersey08903. Originallypublishedin 1950 by Charles Scribner's Sons. Excerpts from this bookwere originally published in TheAtlanticMonthly, The "IntroductiontotheTransac- tion Edition" originally appeared (in longer form) as chapter 33 of George Santayana: A Biography by John McCormick, published in 1987 byAlfredA. Knopf, Inc. All rights reservedunderInternational and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part ofthisbookmaybe reproduced ortransmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval sys- tem, without prior permission in writing from the publisher. All in- — quiriesshouldbeaddressedtoTransactionPublishers,Rutgers The State University, New Brunswick, New Jersey 08903. This book is printed on acid-free paper that meets theAmerican Na- tionalStandardforPermanenceofPaperforPrintedLibraryMaterials. Library ofCongress Catalog Number: 94-46394 ISBN: 1-56000-820-2 Printed in the United States ofAmerica Library ofCongress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Santayana, George, 1863-1952. Dominations andpowers reflections onliberty, society, and gov- : ernment / GeorgeSantayana ; withanewintrod.byJohnMcCormick. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 1-56000-820-2 (pbk. alk. paper) — : — 1. Political science Philosophy. 2. Liberty Philosophy. I. McCormick, John. II. Title. JC251.S33 1995 320'.01—dc20 94-46394 CIP CONTENTS Introduction to the Transaction Edition xi Preface xxi , PRELIMINARIES Title and Subject of This Book i The Sphere of Politics 3 Naturalism 6 The Roots of Spirit in Matter 10 The Agent in Politics Is the Psyche 14 Whether Naturalism Is Irreligious 17 Composition and Plan of This Book 22 BOOK FIRST THE GENERATIVE ORDER OF SOCIETY PART ONE GROWTH IN THE JUNGLE Chaos and Order 33 The Birth of Liberty 35 Primal Will 37 Needs and Demands 41 Liberty Lost 44 Vacant Freedom 46 Logical Liberty or Contingency 49 "Liberty of Indifference" 52 .. Captive Spirit and Its Possible Freedom §§ Vital Liberty 57 Necessary Servitude 60 Servitude to Society 64 Servitude to Custom 67 Natural Selfishness and Unselfishness 71 CONTENTS vi Slavery 73 Transition from Custom to Government 78 PART TWO ECONOMIC ARTS The Birth of Art 87 Claims and Conflicts of the Arts 92 Ambiguity of "Spirit" in the Arts 96 The Ethos of Agriculture 97 Domestic Morality 102 Ideal Monarchy 107 Moral Vicissitudes of Monarchy iii Independence and Fusion among the Arts 118 Intrinsic Values of Government 121 Psychology of the Directive Imagination 125 Radiation of Political Life 128 PART THREE THE LIBERAL ARTS Play 135 Music 138 Words, Words, Words 140 Language and Ideas Symbolic 143 Mythical Domination of Ideas 145 Economic and Liberal Interests in Religion 148 The Dependence of Morality on Religion 155 How Religion May Become Political 160 Liberal Arts Liberate Spirit 168 BOOK SECOND THE MILITANT ORDER OF SOCIETY PART ONE FACTION Wars of Growth i77 Wars of Imagination I79 CONTENTS vii Private Judgment Ignorant but Inescapable 184 Militant Mind 189 The Mirage of Politics 194 Propaganda 198 Vicissitudes of Faith 202 The Disappearance of Chivalry 204 Realpolitik 208 The Sentimental Bandit 212 The Ravages of War 215 The Secret of Tyranny 220 Revolutionary Liberty 223 Alien Domination 225 Dominant Crime 227 Distinction between Crime and Madness 231 Ruling Madness 233 The Paradise of Anarchy "2.^^ PART TWO ENTERPRISE Degrees of Militancy 245 The Romance of Enterprise 247 The Middleman in Trade 249 Moral Ejffects of Trade 254 Radiation of Enterprise 261 Instability of Compound Units 267 Domination as an Art 271 Dissolution of the Arts 275 The Decline of the Great Powers 278 Natural and Artificial Allegiance 281 Militant Religions 284 BOOK THIRD THE RATIONAL ORDER OF SOCIETY The Status of Reason in Nature 295 Relativity of Knowledge and of Morals 300 CONTENTS viii Masks of Vice and Virtue 303 Relativity of Reason in Politics 307 Rational Authority 310 Rational Reforms 315 Rival Seats of Authority 321 Utility of Government 325 The Irony of Government 330 Confusions about Progress 334 Public Opinion 341 Spontaneous Democracy 344 Absolute Democracy 348 Moral Unanimity Impossible 352 Restricted Democracy 355 The American "Melting-Pot" 359 No Fixed Ideal of Society 362 Equality Not Conducive to Peace 365 Mystical Equality 366 Representative Government I Only Generated Organisms Can Live or Think 370 Representative Government II Moral Representation in Nature 373 Representative Government III Moral Representation in Society 376 Representative Government IV Should It Obey Public Feeling or Public Interest? 382 Representative Government V Actual Functions of Parliaments 384 On the Subjects and Objects of Government 391 "Government of the People" 395 Who Are "The People"? 397 "Government by the People" I How Possible 402 "Government by the People" II Psychology of Agreement 405
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