第4章 観念論への脇道 n,2 - ケンブリッジ大学の数学教育
(当時)私に向けられた(加えられた)影響は,唯一の例外を除いて,全て(brought to bear upon me)、カントあるいはヘーゲルの,ドイツ観念論の方向(方面)であった(in the direction of)。ただし、ただびとつの例外があり、それは、功利主義者(ベンサム主義者)の最後の生残りのヘンリー・シジウィック(Henry Sidgwic, 1838-1900)であった。私は、当時。他の若い人々と同様に(in common with ~と共通して)、シジクイックに対して、当然払うべき敬意を十分払わなかった。我々は彼を「老シジ(シジ爺)」と呼び、ただの時代遅れの人間とみなしていた。私を教育するにあたって最も関係していた人は、ジェームズ・ウォードと G. F. スタウトであり,前者はカント主義者であり、後者はヘーゲル主義者であった。ブラッドリ(F. H. Bradrey, 1846-1924)『現象と実在』が当時出版されたが、スタウトは、この本は存在論(ontology)に関して人間が可能な限りのことを成し遂げたものであると言った。けれども、これら二人のいずれも、マクタガート(が私に与えた影響)ほどには私に影響を与えなかった。マクタガート(John M. E. McTaggart, 1866-1925)は、それ以前に私を満足させていたかなり粗雑な経験論に対する、ヘーゲル主義の側からの反論(回答)を持ち合わせていた。彼は論理によって世界が善であり魂が不死であることを証明できると言った。しかし、彼も認めたが,その証明は長くて難解なものであった。相当長く哲学をした後でなければ、その証明を理解することは望みえないものであった。私は彼の影響力に反発したが、徐々に抵抗を弱め(減じ)、1894年(注:ラッセル22歳)の人文学優等生試験の直前には、半ばカント的、半ばヘーゲル的な形而上学の立場に完全に移っていた。 |
Chapter 4: Excursion into Idealism, n.2The mathematical teaching at Cambridge when I was an undergraduate was definitely bad. Its badness was partly due to the order of merit in the Tripos, which was abolished not long afterwards. The necessity for nice discrimination between the abilities of different examinees led to an emphasis on 'problems' as opposed to 'bookwork'. The 'proofs’ that were offered of mathematical theorems were an insult to the logical intelligence. Indeed, the whole subject of mathematics was presented as a set of clever tricks by which to pile up marks in the Tripos. The effect of all this upon me was to make me think mathematics disgusting. When I had finished my Tripos, I sold all my mathematical books and made a vow that I would never look at a mathematical book again. And so, in my fourth year, I plunged with whole-hearted delight into the fantastic world of philosophy.All the influences that were brought to bear upon me were in the direction of German idealism, either Kantian or Hegelian, with one single exception. The exception was Henry Sidgwick, the last survivor of the Benthamites. At the time, I, in common with other young people, did not give him nearly as much respect as he deserved. We called him ‘Old Sidg’ and regarded him merely as out of date. The two men who had most to do with teaching me were James Ward and G. F. Stout, the former a Kantian, the latter a Hegelian. Bradley's Appearance and Reality was published at this time, and Stout said that this book accomplished as much as is humanly possible in ontology. Neither of these two men, however, influenced me as much as McTaggart did. McTaggart had Hegelian answers to the rather crude empiricism which had previously satisfied me. He said he could prove by logic that the world is good and the soul immortal. The proof, he admitted, was long and difficult. One could not hope to understand it until one had studied philosophy for some time. I stood out against his influence with gradually diminishing resistance until just before my Moral Sciences Tripos in 1894, when I went over completely to a semi-Kantian, semi-Hegelian metaphysic. |