SALVATION
INDIVIDUALANDSOCIAL
Oneofthedefectsoftraditionalreligionisitsindividua-lism,andthisdefectbelongsalsotothemoralityassociatedwithit．Traditionally,thereligiouslifewas,asitwere,aduologuebetweenthesoulandGod．ToobeythewillofGodwasvirtue;andthiswaspossiblefortheindividualquiteregardlessofthestateofthecommunity．Protestantsectsdevelopedtheideaof‘findingsalvation’,butitwasalwayspresentinChristianteaching．Thisindividualismoftheseparatesoulhaditsvalueatcertainstagesofhistory,butinthemodernworldweneedratherasocialthananindividualconceptionofwelfare．Iwanttoconsider,inthissection,howthisaffectsourconceptionofthegoodlife.
ChristianityaroseintheRomanEmpireamongpopulations,whollydestituteofpoliticalpower,whosenationalStateshadbeendestroyedandmergedinavastimpersonalaggregate．DuringthefirstthreecenturiesoftheChristianeratheindividualswhoadoptedChristianitycouldnotalterthesocialorpoliticalinstitutionsunderwhichtheylived,althoughtheywereprofoundlyconvincedoftheirbadness．Inthesecircumstances,itwasnaturalthattheyshouldadoptthebeliefthatanindividualmaybeperfectinanimperfectworld,andthatthegoodlifehasnothingtodowiththisworld．WhatImeanmaybecomeplainbycomparisonwithPlato"sRepublic．WhenPlatowantedtodescribethegoodlife,hedescribedawholecommunity,notanindividual;hedidsoinordertodefinejustice,whichisanessentiallysocialconception．Hewasaccustomedtocitizenshipofarepublic,andpoliticalresponsibilitywassomethingwhichhetookforgranted．WiththelossofGreekfreedomcomestheriseofStoicism,whichislikeChristianity,andunlikePlato,inhavinganindividualisticconceptionofthegoodlife.
We,whobelongtogreatdemocracies,shouldfindamoreappropriatemoralityinfreeAthensthanindespoticImperialRome．InIndia,wherethepoliticalcircum-stancesareverysimilartothoseofJudeainthetimeofChrist,wefindGandhipreachingaverysimilarmoralitytoChrist"sandbeingpunishedforitbythechristianisedsuccessorsofPontiusPilate．ButthemoreextremeIndiannationalistsarenotcontentwithindividualsalvation:theywantnationalsalvation．InthistheyhavetakenontheoutlookofthefreedemocraciesoftheWest．Iwanttosuggestsomerespectsinwhichthisoutlook,owingtoChristianinfluences,isnotyetsufficientlyboldandselfconscious,butisstillhamperedbythebeliefinindivi-dualsalvation.
Thegoodlife,asweconceiveit,demandsamultitudeofsocialconditions,andcannotberealisedwithoutthem．Thegoodlife,wesaid,isalifeinspiredbyloveandguidedbyknowledge．Theknowledgerequiredcanonlyexistwheregovernmentsormillionairesdevotethemselvestoitsdiscoveryanddiffusion．Forexample,thespreadofcancerisalarming—whatarewetodoaboutit?Atthemoment,noonecananswerthequestionforlackofknowledge;andtheknowledgeisnotlikelytoemergeexceptthroughendowedresearch．Again,knowledgeofscience,history,literatureandartoughttobeattainablebyallwhodesireit;thisrequireselaboratearrangementsonthepartofpublicauthorities,andisnottobeachievedbymeansofreligiousconversion．Thenthereisforeigntrade,withoutwhichhalftheinhabitantsofGreatBritainwouldstarve;andifwewerestarvingveryfewofuswouldlivethegoodlife．Itisneedlesstomultiplyexamples．Theimportantpointisthat,inallthatdifferentiatesbetweenagoodlifeandabadone,theworldisaunity,andthemanwhopretendstoliveindependentlyisaconsciousorunconsciousparasite.
Theideaofindividualsalvation,withwhichtheearlyChristiansconsoledthemselvesfortheirpoliticalsubje-ction,becomesimpossibleassoonasweescapefromaverynarrowconceptionofthegoodlife．IntheorthodoxChristianconception,thegoodlifeisthevirtuouslife,andvirtueconsistsinobediencetothewillofGod,andthewillofGodisrevealedtoeachindividualthroughthevoiceofconscience．Thiswholeconceptionisthatofmensubjecttoanaliendespotism．Thegoodlifeinvolvesmuchbesidevirtue—intelligence,forinstance．Andconscienceisamostfallaciousguide,sinceitconsistsofvaguereminiscencesofpreceptsheardinearlyyouth,sothatitisneverwiserthanitspossessor"snurseormother．Toliveagoodlifeinthefullestsenseamanmusthaveagoodeducation,friends,love,children（ifhedesiresthem）,asufficientincometokeephimfromwantandgraveanxiety,goodhealth,andworkwhichisnotuninteresting．Allthesethings,invaryingdegrees,dependuponthecommunity,andarehelpedorhinderedbypoliticalevents．Thegoodlifemustbelivedinagoodsociety,andisnotfullypossibleotherwise.
Thisisthefundamentaldefectofthearistocraticideal．Certaingoodthings,suchasartandscienceandfriendship,canflourishverywellinanaristocraticsociety．TheyexistedinGreeceonabasisofslavery;theyexistamongourselvesonabasisofexploitation．Butlove,intheformofsympathy,orbenevolence,cannotexistfreelyinanaristocraticsociety．Thearistocrathastopersuadehimselfthattheslaveorproletarianorcolouredmanisofinferiorclay,andthathissufferingsdonotmatter．Atthepresentmoment,polishedEnglishgentlemenflogAfricanssoseverelythattheydieafterhoursofunspeakableanguish．Evenifthesegentlemenarewelleducated,arti-stic,andadmirableconversationalists,Icannotadmitthattheyarelivingthegoodlife．Humannatureimposessomelimitationofsympathy,butnotsuchadegreeasthat．Inademocratically-mindedsociety,onlyamaniacwouldbehaveinthisway．Thelimitationofsympathyinvolvedinthearistocraticidealisitscondemnation．Salvationisanaristocraticideal,becauseitisindividualistic．Forthisreason,also,theideaofpersonalsalvation,howeverinterpretedandexpanded,cannotserveforthedefinitionofthegoodlife.
Anothercharacteristicofsalvationisthatitresultsfromacatastrophicchange,liketheconversionofStPaul．Shelley"spoemsaffordanillustrationofthisconceptionappliedtosocieties;themomentcomeswheneverybodyisconverted,the‘anarchs’fly,and‘theworld"sgreatagebeginsanew’．Itmaybesaidthatapoetisanunimportantperson,whoseideasareofnoconsequence．ButIampersuadedthatalargeproportionofrevolutionaryleadershavehadideasextremelylikeShelley"s．TheyhavethoughtthatmiseryandcrueltyanddegradationwereduetotyrantsorpriestsorcapitalistsorGermans,andthatifthesesourcesofevilwereoverthrowntherewouldbeageneralchangeofheartandweshouldalllivehappyeverafter．Holdingthesebeliefs,theyhavebeenwillingtowagea‘wartoendwar’．Comparativelyfortunatewerethosewhohadsuffereddefeatordeath;thosewhohadthemisfortunetoemergevictoriouswerereducedtocynicismanddespairbythefailureofalltheirglowinghopes．TheultimatesourceofthesehopeswastheChristiandoctrineofcatastrophicconversionastheroadtosalvation.
Idonotwishtosuggestthatrevolutionsarenevernecessary,butIdowishtosuggestthattheyarenotshortcutstothemillennium．Thereisnoshortcuttothegoodlife,whetherindividualorsocial．Tobuildupthegoodlife,wemustbuildupintelligence,self-controlandsym-pathy．Thisisaquantitativematter,amatterofgradualimprovement,ofearlytraining,ofeducationalexperi-ment．Onlyimpatiencepromptsthebeliefinthepossibilityofsuddenimprovement．Thegradualimprovementthatispossible,andthemethodsbywhichitmaybeachieved,areamatterforfuturescience．Butsomethingcanbesaidnow．SomepartofwhatcanbesaidIshalltrytoindicateinafinalsection.
