Liberty in Mexico: Writings on Liberalism from the Early Republican Period to the Second Half of the Twentieth Century

Consciousness of Liberty

519 1. the attributeS of the Century Our epoch, which begins with the war of the nations, possesses attributes that differentiate and characterize it. The great industrial development, like the scientific unfolding, does not constitute , certainly, an exclusive attribute of the period of human history to which we refer, because during the entire nineteenth century, the apogee of science and industry—its immediate corollary—was already brought about as a characteristic element of this other period of history. Nevertheless, the development of the physical sciences has continued in our time, manifesting itself in the elaboration of the electric theoryof matter. The great hypotheses of physics have expanded the complexity of scientific knowledge in such a way that it is a problem today for the middle level of instruction, the pedagogy of modern physics. How to make young minds, necessarily lacking in higher mathematical culture, understand the hypothesis of physicists about the constitution of matter ? . . . The discovery of radium began the forward movement of the development of contemporary thinking with respect to the structure of the atom. In reality, just as the cell changes into a very complex organism for those who study biology, the atom is converted into a solar system for those who investigate the structure of the universe. The great names of Einstein and Planck dominate the theories of modern physics, and one comes to think about a certain indeterminacy that rests at the base of reality, so that scientific laws would mean only “a limitation of possibilities” according to the perfect expression of Mach in his book on scientific knowledge.1 Original title: “Conciencia de la libertad.” Source: Antonio Caso, La persona humana y el estado totalitario (Mexico: unam, 1941). 1. Ernst Mach (1838–1916) was an Austrian physicist and a philosopher of science. (Editor’s note) Consciousness of Liberty 520 : antonio CaSo Dr. Carrel makes note, in agreement with the opinion of many other scientists, of the lack of proportion that occurs between the progress of the physical sciences and that of the biological and moral sciences. Tolstoy already declared that “modern man resembles a child who plays with dangerous toys of nitroglycerin.” In past epochs, man made use only of animal energy and some of the physical forces to put machines into motion. Today he has managed to make use not only of heat and electricity, but also, breaking down matter into its atomic elements, makes use of fabulous energies that he will be able to use someday, without doubt, to economize on his effort, achieving fantastic results.Therefore , one of the differentiating attributes of our century is the incomparable development of the physical sciences. What can such an extraordinary apogee of science signify in the advance of the culture? . . . Science is the final fruit in the development cycle of cultures. Scientific knowledge prospered in Greece, not in the classical epoch, but rather in the days of Hellenism and Alexandrianism. From the Museum of Alexandria sprang the scientific movement of antiquity . When for centuries letters and history had already flourished, science inaugurated its splendor. This indicates that the great epochs of scientific development do not correspond to the creative moments of humanity, but rather to the twilight instants of decline. Alexandria was the magnificent evening twilight of Greek culture. Philosophy also achieves in our time an admirable development, and this only confirms the thesis of decline. Because to philosophize is a type of reflection at the second level, a reflection on reflections, a universal meditation on the world and the I already explored in other branches of the culture.The philosopher is also a late fruit.The values he creates can produce only after human meditation has been exercised directly on life and history. Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle are for Nietzsche symptoms of decadence. After the great Greek centuryof drama and politics, the great Aristotelian synthesis appears, coinciding with the life of Alexander. Great philosophers, comparable to the most distinguished names of human thought, are Bergson, Husserl, and Scheler. Bergsonianism and phenomenology coincide with Einstein and the theory of relativity. Therefore, at the apogee of philosophical development can be seen, sometimes, another symptom of the great twilight of the European culture. There are neither great lyric nor dramatic poets, nor brilliant ConSCiouSneSS of liberty : 521 artists like those that other centuries begat. What certainly exists and honors our century is the philosophical and scientific meditation, undeniable differentiating attribute of our age. Finally, politics...