I Am Louis XIV

   Chapter 354 Lively Rebellion (6)

No one else made Spinoza a little more relaxed, he was given a seat, and while he chatted with the king around philosophy and history, Bontang served hot tea and sweet pastries, which, as we all know, can make The people were relaxed, Spinoza had no idea when their conversation had gone into politics, and when he suddenly woke up, he didn't know how many dangerous things he had said.

   Bontang listened, and finally understood why Louis XIV took such a big risk to bring this man back to France.

Some of his ideas reminded Bontang of Plato's utopia and Machiavelli's monarchy. He seemed to combine these two ideas and vaguely override them. While supporting people's ideological Openness and freedom, while at the same time supporting the restriction and control of the body by the government or the king, he is not like most scholars who advocate ancient Greek philosophy, who blindly demand that human beings get rid of the shackles imposed by social and individual responsibility; Legal practitioners believe that severe punishment is the foundation of the whole world. He believes that the best political system is to limit the scope of power that the state can interfere with only human actions, not human thoughts.

The state, or king, should not be a dictator, but rather a coordinator, constantly coordinating various aspects, various forms of things and events, making them harmonious, unified, and enhancing the power of the whole - of course , In this process, a dynamic government is necessary, absolutely necessary, and not everyone knows how to make good use of their own strength and ideas.

But at the same time, he solemnly pointed out that he did not mean to let the government restrict and control everyone like a child. It should believe that human nature tends to be good and bright after all, and they should recognize human beings. Inevitably all the weaknesses and dark sides, guide them to learn, let them think, have a dialogue with their hearts, and improve their morality instead of savagely denying or rejecting them.

  Like the previous church, monopolizing education and not allowing the people to have wisdom is a kind of behavior of slave owners to slaves, which will only lead to extreme tragedy.

  …

Afterwards, Bontang didn't even want to think about the more rebellious remarks. He now understands how crazy, how evil, and how precious a character Baruch Spinoza is. Even in his In the words, he could vaguely find the part that fits the king's behavior. Spinoza's thoughts, like some of Louis XIV's hidden thoughts, far surpassed the current human beings for hundreds of years, or even more.

His philosophy is like a dagger, which goes straight to the heart of the heart, and can easily provoke their instincts—the dual pursuit of freedom and order. It is not surprising that he was in The Hague, in Florence, in such embarrassing circumstances, using Pseudonyms can also attract students. As long as they listen to his lectures, it is difficult for anyone not to be convinced. At the same time, Bontang also felt a chill - Louis XIV said that Spinoza was the enemy of religion. Now it seems that, Deep down, he's also the king's enemy—if he's a dazed, old-fashioned king, he'll hate the dangerous ideas he preaches.

  A smart person is not scary, what is scary is a person who can teach a group of smart people.

Bontang can even say that Spinoza's legacy will endanger Bourbon for generations. After all, Louis XIV is still a human being. He can guarantee that his son will be a good king and his grandson will be a good king. Can you control what happens a hundred years from now?

What made Spinoza wake up suddenly was a strong cough - he held his mouth so as not to be rude in front of the king, while feeling a wave of fear, perhaps some of Louis XIV's thoughts coincided with him, This is the first time he has seen, and he knows better than his friends and relatives. No, it should be said that the person who is very similar to him in thinking, he speaks freely without knowing it, and dumps almost everything in his heart. out.

"Now," Louis waited patiently for him to endure this time - the three scholars had a medical examination as soon as they came to Paris. Although the current medical technology cannot fully analyze the human body, with the help of wizards, it seems that some obvious All the symptoms can be found and treated - Torricelli has no major health problems, and some of the sequelae left in the cage can be cured with proper rest, mainly his wife and unweaned children, because of their suffering. Frightened and having to travel long distances, he became weak and sick, but with the king, these problems were not a problem; Huygens had a common problem with some nobles, because he liked drinking, so his liver was enlarged, because he liked eating Seafood and gout, these two diseases cannot be solved by wizards in one fell swoop, so they can only start by restricting their diet; the most dangerous is Spinoza, as we mentioned before, he was expelled in his twenties After leaving Amsterdam, he made a living by grinding lenses for the next twenty years. Whether it is crystal or glass, when the grinding wheel is ground, a large amount of fine dust will be raised, and the dust will be inhaled by the craftsmen who grind the lenses. Lungs, they usually die in middle age because of lung pain, unable to breathe, Spinoza is no exception, he also has some diseases in the cervical spine, spine and lumbar spine.

The wizards are treating him at the request of the king, using an extremely rare lung washing technique. The process is painful and difficult, and it takes a long time, but the effect is still quite good. At least now Spinoza is only in the mood. Or coughing violently when exercising, but no longer the feeling of being out of breath no matter what.

   "I have an idea, Monsieur Spinoza," said Louis XIV. "But first of all I want to ask you, you look into the infinite distance, so have you seen your feet?"

   "If you mean where I am now," Spinoza said, "I see it."

"Then you now have two options," said Louis XIV. "You will continue your research and teaching under my protection, and you will teach some students who you like, and you will write some hard-worked articles. Would love to see your ideas spread by them," he raised his hand, motioning Spinoza not to interrupt him, "but as soon as they, people, or books, leave France, they'll be banned immediately, After being arrested, after I die, you and your doctrine will surely end in ruin." He smiled: "I know my child, and little Louis will not accept what you want to convey to people."

   "But it's also possible that your doctrine will flourish somewhere in the middle of nowhere, but can you take a look? In such a case, how would things turn out?"

   "…war and chaos," Spinoza said.

Louis nodded approvingly. Martin Luther just wanted to reform the church. The religious war between Protestantism and Catholicism lasted for hundreds of years. People guided by Spinoza's "freedom" will definitely not only point to the church. Spinoza and his mind would be smothered in swaddling clothes in an instant once the kings were aware of the problem.

   Moreover, Spinoza doubted that, if it had come to that point, Louis XIV would not have allowed him and his mind to leave France, not even a place as small as the castle of the Vicomte de Vaux.

"I like your article, your thoughts - even though it has many disadvantages for me and my descendants, it allows me to see the future of mankind, a future as bright and bright as the sun, and I don't want it to change into a heresy, and don't want you to be a villainous villain—as they did with Savonarola, you know how he was portrayed after his death," Louis curled his fingers: "Absurd, stupid, and sinister, they said, the reason why he became a priest was not because he was inspired by God, but because he was too ugly, and he was born incompetent, unable to get the love of women, so he put all his anger away Pour out on those who are pious."

   "As for his reforms, his wishes, his hopes," continued Louis, "at the moment of his execution, nay, even earlier, it was ashes."

   "Man will one day face up to his exploits."

"But can you still find his writings?" said Louis, "and his disciples have died. You said that you are willing to face up to the cowardice in human nature, and then you will ask your students, those eager and persistent young people, to be Your ideal sacrifice?"

Spinoza moved his lips, and the long-lost feeling of suffocation came upon him. He could really imagine it, and he didn't need to imagine it. Before, his students were only criticized and punished by some families and churches, just because his ideas still didn't work. It has not been practiced in reality, but if... those people will not be merciful.

   "Now," continued Louis XIV, "please look outside."

Spinoza looked outside. From this window, he could see the Grand Canal. Although it was excavated by hand, the water was sparkling, not inferior to the Arno River in Florence. "You see it," Louis Fourteen got up and came to the window, and Spinoza stood up at once—no one could sit while the king stood up. "If I throw a torch into the river, will it burn?"

   "How is that possible?" said Spinoza.

   "Then if I drain the river, throw in firewood, and grease it, will it burn?"

   "Of course, Your Majesty."

   "But it will take a long time."

   Spinoza didn't answer immediately, he looked out the window: "It will be a long time."

"It's so old that you and I may not see it." Louis XIV said bluntly: "Your theory cannot be developed now, when most people are still ignorant, although you can persuade scholars , to persuade their students, but to the people who can't even read the scriptures and just follow the words 'Amen', they will only listen to the words of the priest or the lord, like the one who killed Archimedes the Roman soldier, does he know what sin he has committed? No, he doesn't, it's not even his responsibility."

"What we have to do now is to try to control the water in people's minds, and then see if we can fill in the most basic things, at least let them learn to think for themselves," Louis sighed: "Your philosophy is not No, sir, I'd say, it's great that anyone who can understand what you mean would be willing to give everything for such a future, but that's why—"

   "Torches," said Spinoza with difficulty.

"Yes, they are the torches thrown into the river." Louis said: "So, you have to make a choice now, I like you, sir, in the future I may be written in the history books because of you, you are such a great man man, I wish I could lay the foundation for your monument, but not now, sir, not now, will you wait? Maybe you can't see it, but I can assure you that your name will be the most A shining pearl."

   Spinoza shook hands. "What do you want me to do?"

"Be a scholar who swears silence," said Louis, "you are free in Paris and in Versailles, you are my guest, you can go to any salon, choose any student you want, or Talk to other scholars, I won't put any restrictions on you, but you have to write something in a book that people can't understand for a while, organize it into a set, and give it to your students, or someone you can trust, or even It's a bank safe, and you'll leave a fortune to print your book."

   Spinoza thought for a while: "You mean, you want me to postpone what I want to do now to a few decades or a hundred years."

   "Where your eyes can see, you can decide where it is," Louis said.

There is no scholar who does not want to see his own works published, or to see his ideas carried forward and recognized by everyone, but Spinoza can certainly see the problems mentioned by Louis XIV. Desperately searching for students, willing to risk being executed, with a fiery heart and an empty stomach, just because he knew that he was being suppressed and monitored by the Judean Church and the Roman Church, maybe when he died, all The manuscripts were going to be burnt, so he did everything he could to keep a little seedlings of his thoughts.

It would be a good idea to keep the manuscript in a bank safe, or even go a step further, deposit it with friends and students, and when they think the situation is suitable, take it out and print it, it is also a good way. All need help from others, of course it is impossible to do this, but—Louis XIV's appreciation for him cannot be disguised, and what is the need for the Sun King to disguise?

   He has it all.

   Although it is a pity that I cannot see my own thoughts recognized and praised before I die. But if there was no Louis XIV, Spinoza would have died in the standing cage in Florence, what reason would he have to refuse?

   "The last question," said Spinoza.

  Louis nodded.

"You know me and my thoughts so well," said a voice in Spinoza's heart telling him not to say any more, so be it, this merciful majesty has thought very well for a humble scholar , he just accepts it gratefully, and then he can live the life he dreams of—teaching students, talking, debating, and thinking with colleagues and confidants, without worrying about a bed or a loaf of bread, and without wasting precious time without However, as an upright and noble person, he felt that he must get the answer to this question, "Then you can see that even after a hundred years, once my theory can be published and accepted by people , it will affect a lot of people, they...they may not be willing to continue on the same path - your rule, your dynasty, maybe overnight..."

   He took a deep breath: "Overnight, overturned..."

   After saying this, he almost fainted. Fortunately, he was leaning against the window at this time, and he could pull the curtain to stabilize his body.

   "But that's the course of history."

Unexpectedly, the king answered him immediately, and he must have thought about these things for a long time before he could finally say: "As you said, sir, human nature is selfish, and this is what human beings can do from thousands of The reason for the survival of the living creatures - I have read all over the book, from the earliest Sumerian civilization to the present, Mr. Spinoza, you should have discovered that the gradual evolution of social systems - can also be called as Civilization is produced as the wisdom of human beings gradually increases from less to more. The more intelligent the people, the more advanced, reasonable and just the system. On the contrary, as the church and kings once did, restricting The people's mastery of knowledge can put themselves in a very favorable position, but I would say that if you and I were to go back to Sumerian times, with the knowledge and experience you and I have, you can become a high priest, I You can be an avatar of a king or even a god, the question is, if given the choice, would you be willing to rule over a group of monkeys?"

Sometimes it is difficult for people to understand why a society changes from top to bottom, and some people who benefit from it oppose those who give them privileges. In fact, this is not surprising. It seems that human genes have been imprinted in the promotion of the whole society. The element of moving forward, which brings them together, from ape to man, will not stop abruptly at a certain moment.

   Spinoza stared at him. "I must be dreaming," he murmured, "otherwise how could it be possible to hear a king say such things?"

"I am also very selfish," Louis smiled slightly: "Although I have put on a brilliant laurel for France, I will not want it to fall into the mire and be ridiculed. I have descendants, and I will hope for the surname of Bourbon. Always stand at the pinnacle of power - but sometimes, some processes cannot be stopped, just like a flood, the dikes will always be washed away, so you are the safe haven I reserved for my children and grandchildren, as long as I have listened to your lessons, After reading your book and understanding your thoughts, even if they don't want to accept it, they will make the right choice at that time."

   Spinoza closed his eyes and sighed long.

I suggest that you have time to read a few of Spinoza's books - some of his ... contents have really surpassed the society at that time for hundreds of years, and directly fit our current situation, so I won't go into details here. Yes, but recommended, highly recommended!

   If you know a lot about Spinoza and feel that I have some problems with the explanation of his ideas in this chapter, it is a last resort, please understand and sigh.

   (end of this chapter)