292 HUMANISM xvi 



If he chooses Determinism, he renounces the attempt 

 to alter society and to guide its fated course. But he 

 may think that he has saved himself and the world from 

 the taint of irrationality which the belief in Freedom 

 would set upon it. But this surely would be a delusion. 

 If it is impossible and irrational to choose, then his very 

 choice of Determinism commits him to at least one 

 irrational act of choice. If he replies that this seeming 

 choice too was determined, and that he could not have 

 chosen otherwise, then the belief that he did really choose 

 at least was an illusion. 



Moreover, he will find that although he, by some 

 fortunate necessity, was impelled to think (what he 

 believes to be) the truth, others are by that same necessity 

 constrained to remain deluded and to believe in a 

 freedom which is irrational and impossible. Thus, one 

 way the world has of exhibiting its rationality to 

 a Determinist is to engender necessary errors and 

 delusions ! 



Again, in spite of his enlightenment, he will find it 

 just as impossible as heretofore to avoid relapsing into 

 forms of speech and modes of thought which have mean 

 ing only if the freedom they imply is not an illusion. 

 To be consistent, Determinism should erase from language 

 all such terms as can/ may, ought, should, need 

 not, if/ either . . . or/ perhaps/ Nor is this a mere 

 question of words ; when we use them, we really mean 

 them and really imagine, however mistakenly, that we 

 are speaking of real possibilities and alternatives. But 

 this is all wrong, if Determinism is right. We should 

 cleanse our minds of the attitudes of thought which 

 correspond to all this Libertarian language. Doubts, 

 hypotheses, possibilities, choices and alternatives should 

 be as impossible in thought as they are in reality. If, 

 however, as is probable, Mr. Blatchford also should 

 despair of clearing his mind of these delusions, must 

 he not resign himself to regard a universe which oj 

 necessity engenders and harbours them as truly expressive 

 of the nature of things ? But why in this case should 



