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And Another Thing

Paul Johnson

Wednesday, 9th July 2008

The truth little Red Rum can teach those clever dons

The idea that animals may be imbued with an idea of freedom which leads them to fight against blind, meaningless fate is a striking one. After the Battle of Waterloo, Sir Astley Cooper, the famous London surgeon, attended the sale of the wounded horses, considered fit only for the knacker’s yard. He bought 12 of the most serious cases, had them taken to his estate in Herefordshire, and began the systematic extraction of bullets and grapeshot. He saved the lives of all and turned them loose in his park. Then, ‘one morning, to his great delight, he saw the noble animals form in line, charge, and then retreat, and afterwards gallop about, appearing greatly contented with the lot that had befallen them’. These creatures had all served in different formations, and their self-taught drill was remarkable in itself. It was as though they grasped perfectly well that they had been through a horrific experience, so their exercises were a demonstration not only of their freedom of movement but their liberty of spirit: their masters had beaten the French, but they had overcome fate too.

I suspect that by studying the resistance some animals offer to fate, and the freedom they secure by their efforts — the internal freedom which is the only true kind — we can learn lessons about the spiritual evolution of primitive man. For he and she were once prisoners of a blind, purposeless and seemingly implacable fate, as animals are still, as a rule. Why did they not remain so? It was undoubtedly because, on my reading of the early history of humans, they studied the operations of nature, both frightening and benevolent, over long periods and with great attention, and came to the conclusion (or some of them did) that nature was moved by beings of great power, who could be plac-ated. The efforts of placation, or supplication, whether by sacrifices or prayer, might not succeed, but at least humans were in with a chance. There was something they could do to alter or improve their lives. They did not have to submit without protest or struggle with events over which they had no control whatsoever. This self-importation of the notion of God in human brains, the discovery of religion and a consciously practised morality as a means to elevate the human condition was the origin of all progress. With it came the notion of freedom to struggle against adversity in all its forms, for if humans could improve their lot in some directions, they could do it in others, indeed in any.

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Cogito Ergosum

July 10th, 2008 3:31pm

This article typifies the inchoate rage of the religious mind against the idea that science is the key to understanding our world and our place therein; and that the results of science from the steam engine to the jet plane and modern medicine have liberated the more thoughtful humans from the fatalism he abhors.

Egg

July 10th, 2008 4:35pm

Of course science is the key to understanding the material elements of the universe; but when it comes to matters like telepathy, poltergeists and religious experience, for which there is ample evidence but which does not fit in with a materialistic view of the world, some scientists (the more honourable ones in my view) accept that they have no explanation for them, while others (the fundamentalist and often militant atheists to whom Paul Johnson refers - I name no names) simply refuse to consider the evidence. I'm afraid that in my view simply makes them bad scientists.

Vernon Howell

July 10th, 2008 8:36pm

Er... how has the jet plane liberated humans from fatalism precisely? Liberated them from a certain amount of gravity perhaps, but fatalism I think not. On the contrary there is a new strand of fatalism which holds that flight is destroying the planet and we are all doomed. Your technological-rationalist optimism is so 19th century, my friend.

Cogito Ergosum

July 11th, 2008 6:01pm

To Egg 1635/10/7/2008:

It is science rather than religion which is more likely to accept that currently there is no explanation for some phenomenon. Some puzzles do take a long while to crack. In the examples you quote, however, there is historic justification for considering in at least some cases the possibility of human fallibility, ranging from wishful thinking to outright cheating.

To Vernon Howell 2036/10/7/2008:

The jet plane and other modern machines make travel much easier and quicker. Travel broadens the mind, at least for the more thoughtful humans.

Vernon Howell

July 11th, 2008 8:08pm

Yes for some people travel broadens the mind, but not necessarily in an atheistic or materialist direction, unless your definition of 'thoughtful' is atheistic. Also, I point out that many travellers spend a lot of their time visiting ancient sacred spaces (temples etc), or museums which are full of sacred art. Finally, back on the fatalism theme, there are many secular fatalisms- whether socio-economic or biological- deterministic. So 'liberation' from belief rarely if ever entails the kind of existential liberation I think you are making claims for.