348 Morality and Self-interest 



guide, has constituted a solution. The tradi- 

 tional moralists like G. K. Chesterton, representing 

 the view of the orthodox Catholic Church, have 

 sought to find a solution in a return to the Middle 

 Ages, frankly rejecting the discoveries of modern 

 science and calling Darwin a charlatan. And even 

 enlightened spirits like Tolstoi, breaking away 

 from the orthodox Christianity of creeds and dog- 

 mas, compelled to face the conflict between deep- 

 lying social instincts and intellectual convictions, 

 have been able to find a solution only by abandon- 

 ing reason as a guide and relying solely upon 

 intuition and faith. Tolstoi has stated the 

 dilemma clearly as follows: 



Would reason ever have proved to me that I ought 

 to love my neighbour instead of choking him? I 

 was taught it in my childhood, but I believed it gladly 

 because it was already existent in my soul. Reason 

 discovered the struggle for existence, — that law which 

 demands the overthrow of every obstacle in the way of 

 our desires ; that is the result of reason ; but reason has 

 nothing to do with loving our neighbour. ^ 



From this accepted antagonism between moral- 

 ity and interest arises the pronounced current of 

 hostility against the moralists. They are con- 

 sidered as theorists — visionaries living in the clouds 

 far above the practical realities of life. What they 

 preach is admitted to be very beautiful, but only 

 when it has no direct application. When the 



» Tolstoi, Anna Karenina, p. 750. 



