SCIENCE AND REVOLUTION 



XL IN THE MELTING POT OF THE FRENCH REV- 

 OLUTION 



The French revolution had broken out in the 

 meantime, and the philosophers now had an op- 

 portunity to watch what pure reason, practical 

 reason, natural rights, the categorical imperative, 

 the social contract, and metaphysical idealism 

 could accomplish. After wading through rivers 

 of blood at the instigation of practical reason, 

 pure reason mounted the throne by decree of the 

 national convention, on November 10, 1793. The 

 worship of reason, lasted till June 8, 1794, when 

 Robespierre brought god and metaphysical ideal- 

 ism back to the throne, dethroned reason, declared 

 atheism to be an aristocratic sin, and celebrated 

 the festival of the supreme being. But on July 

 27, 1794, the supreme being remembered the 

 categorical imperative, left Robespierre ungrate- 

 fully in the lurch, and looked on at a safe dis- 

 tance while " eternal justice " chopped off the 

 good man's head with that gory instrument of 

 natural rights introduced by practical reason, the 

 guillotine. Lavoisier received the same reward 

 for his services to mankind that Robespierre 

 earned for his services to the supreme being. 



84 



