Patriotism and Science: Some Studies in Historic Psychology (Classic Reprint)

Excerpt from Patriotism and Science: Some Studies in Historic Psychology

I chanced not long ago upon an article in the Con temporary l'teview,1 by a Mr. Edward Wakefield, on so enticing a theme that I promptly bought the number and read the article, The Brand of Cain in the Great Republic; and I read it, if not with pleasure, at least with entertainment. It came to me, at the time, as so happy an instance of the sort of thing which may be called internationally unfortunate, the fact that not all men can claim pretensions in a way to being philosophers, wisdom-loving, - to liking, I mean, to find out the truth for its own sake, irrespec tive of the consequences, in an honest, scientific fashion. For this article was one of those plausible but unsatisfactory things which we all of us are sure to produce if we have not the leaven of criticism to tem per the utterances made by us in that needlessly aver age state of ignorance of others that so surely results in uncompromising patriotism. But patriotism is so little laudable in itself that it appears to me to be po tively vulgarizing and repressing if it be treasured at the expense Of the critical wider View, or, as M. Le Vicomte de Vogiié says, the passion for the planet.

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