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If　you　argue　with　a　madman；　it　is　extremely　probable　that　you　will



get　the　worst　of　it；　for　in　many　ways　his　mind　moves　all　the　quicker



for　not　being　delayed　by　the　things　that　go　with　good　judgment。　



He　is　not　hampered　by　a　sense　of　humour　or　by　charity；　or　by　the　dumb



certainties　of　experience。　　He　is　the　more　logical　for　losing　certain



sane　affections。　　Indeed；　the　common　phrase　for　insanity　is　in　this



respect　a　misleading　one。　　The　madman　is　not　the　man　who　has　lost



his　reason。　　The　madman　is　the　man　who　has　lost　everything　except



his　reason。







　　　　　The　madman's　explanation　of　a　thing　is　always　complete；　and　often



in　a　purely　rational　sense　satisfactory。　　Or；　to　speak　more　strictly；



the　insane　explanation；　if　not　conclusive；　is　at　least　unanswerable；



this　may　be　observed　specially　in　the　two　or　three　commonest　kinds



of　madness。　　If　a　man　says　（for　instance）　that　men　have　a　conspiracy



against　him；　you　cannot　dispute　it　except　by　saying　that　all　the　men



deny　that　they　are　conspirators；　which　is　exactly　what　conspirators



would　do。　　His　explanation　covers　the　facts　as　much　as　yours。　



Or　if　a　man　says　that　he　is　the　rightful　King　of　England；　it　is　no



complete　answer　to　say　that　the　existing　authorities　call　him　mad；



for　if　he　were　King　of　England　that　might　be　the　wisest　thing　for　the



existing　authorities　to　do。　　Or　if　a　man　says　that　he　is　Jesus　Christ；



it　is　no　answer　to　tell　him　that　the　world　denies　his　divinity；



for　the　world　denied　Christ's。







　　　　　Nevertheless　he　is　wrong。　　But　if　we　attempt　to　trace　his　error



in　exact　terms；　we　shall　not　find　it　quite　so　easy　as　we　had　supposed。　



Perhaps　the　nearest　we　can　get　to　expressing　it　is　to　say　this：　



that　his　mind　moves　in　a　perfect　but　narrow　circle。　　A　small　circle



is　quite　as　infinite　as　a　large　circle；　but；　though　it　is　quite



as　infinite；　it　is　not　so　large。　　In　the　same　way　the　insane　explanation



is　quite　as　complete　as　the　sane　one；　but　it　is　not　so　large。　



A　bullet　is　quite　as　round　as　the　world；　but　it　is　not　the　world。　



There　is　such　a　thing　as　a　narrow　universality；　there　is　such



a　thing　as　a　small　and　cramped　eternity；　you　may　see　it　in　many



modern　religions。　　Now；　speaking　quite　externally　and　empirically；



we　may　say　that　the　strongest　and　most　unmistakable　MARK　of　madness



is　this　combination　between　a　logical　completeness　and　a　spiritual



contraction。　　The　lunatic's　theory　explains　a　large　number　of　things；



but　it　does　not　explain　them　in　a　large　way。　　I　mean　that　if　you



or　I　were　dealing　with　a　mind　that　was　growing　morbid；　we　should　be



chiefly　concerned　not　so　much　to　give　it　arguments　as　to　give　it　air；



to　convince　it　that　there　was　something　cleaner　and　cooler　outside



the　suffocation　of　a　single　argument。　　Suppose；　for　instance；



it　were　the　first　case　that　I　took　as　typical；　suppose　it　were



the　case　of　a　man　who　accused　everybody　of　conspiring　against　him。　



If　we　could　express　our　deepest　feelings　of　protest　and　appeal



against　this　obsession；　I　suppose　we　should　say　something　like　this：　



〃Oh；　I　admit　that　you　have　your　case　and　have　it　by　heart；



and　that　many　things　do　fit　into　other　things　as　you　say。　　I　admit



that　your　explanation　explains　a　great　deal；　but　what　a　great　deal　it



leaves　out！　　Are　there　no　other　stories　in　the　world　except　yours；



and　are　all　men　busy　with　your　business？　　Suppose　we　grant　the　details；



perhaps　when　the　man　in　the　street　did　not　seem　to　see　you　it　was



only　his　cunning；　perhaps　when　the　policeman　asked　you　your　name　it



was　only　because　he　knew　it　already。　　But　how　much　happier　you　would



be　if　you　only　knew　that　these　people　cared　nothing　about　you！　



How　much　larger　your　life　would　be　if　your　self　could　become　smaller



in　it；　if　you　could　really　look　at　other　men　with　common　curiosity



and　pleasure；　if　you　could　see　them　walking　as　they　are　in　their



sunny　selfishness　and　their　virile　indifference！　　You　would　begin



to　be　interested　in　them；　because　they　were　not　interested　in　you。　



You　would　break　out　of　this　tiny　and　tawdry　theatre　in　which　your



own　little　plot　is　always　being　played；　and　you　would　find　yourself



under　a　freer　sky；　in　a　street　full　of　splendid　strangers。〃　



Or　suppose　it　were　the　second　case　of　madness；　that　of　a　man　who



claims　the　crown；　your　impulse　would　be　to　answer；　〃All　right！　



Perhaps　you　know　that　you　are　the　King　of　England；　but　why　do　you　care？　



Make　one　magnificent　effort　and　you　will　be　a　human　being　and　look



down　on　all　the　kings　of　the　earth。〃　　Or　it　might　be　the　third　case；



of　the　madman　who　called　himself　Christ。　　If　we　said　what　we　felt；



we　should　say；　〃So　you　are　the　Creator　and　Redeemer　of　the　world：　



but　what　a　small　world　it　must　be！　　What　a　little　heaven　you　must　inhabit；



with　angels　no　bigger　than　butterflies！　　How　sad　it　must　be　to　be　God；



and　an　inadequate　God！　　Is　there　really　no　life　fuller　and　no　love



more　marvellous　than　yours；　and　is　it　really　in　your　small　and　painful



pity　that　all　flesh　must　put　its　faith？　　How　much　happier　you　would　be；



how　much　more　of　you　there　would　be；　if　the　hammer　of　a　higher　God



could　smash　your　small　cosmos；　scattering　the　stars　like　spangles；



and　leave　you　in　the　open；　free　like　other　men　to　look　up　as　well



as　down！〃







　　　　　And　it　must　be　remembered　that　the　most　purely　practical　science



does　take　this　view　of　mental　evil；　it　does　not　seek　to　argue　with　it



like　a　heresy　but　simply　to　snap　it　like　a　spell。　　Neither　modern



science　nor　ancient　religion　believes　in　complete　free　thought。　



Theology　rebukes　certain　thoughts　by　calling　them　blasphemous。　



Science　rebukes　certain　thoughts　by　calling　them　morbid。　　For　example；



some　religious　societies　discouraged　men　more　or　less　from　thinking



about　sex。　　The　new　scientific　society　definitely　discourages　men　from



thinking　about　death；　it　is　a　fact；　but　it　is　considered　a　morbid　fact。　



And　in　dealing　with　those　whose　morbidity　has　a　touch　of　mania；



modern　science　cares　far　less　for　pure　logic　than　a　dancing　Dervish。　



In　these　cases　it　is　not　enough　that　the　unhappy　man　should　desire　truth；



he　must　desire　health。　　Nothing　can　save　him　but　a　blind　hunger



for　normality；　like　that　of　a　beast。　　A　man　cannot　think　himself



out　of　mental　evil；　for　it　is　actually　the　organ　of　thought　that　has



become　diseased；　ungovernable；　and；　as　it　were；　independent。　　He　can



only　be　saved　by　will　or　faith。　　The　moment　his　mere　reason　moves；



it　moves　in　the　old　circular　rut；　he　will　go　round　and　round　his



logical　circle；　just　as　a　man　in　a　third…class　carriage　on　the　Inner



Circle　will　go　round　and　round　the　Inner　Circle　unless　he　performs



the　voluntary；　vigorous；　and　mystical　act　of　getting　out　at　Gower　Street。　



Decision　is　the　whole　business　here；　a　door　must　be　shut　for　ever。　



Every　remedy　is　a　desperate　remedy。　　Every　cure　is　a　miraculous　cure。　



Curing　a　madman　is　not　arguing　with　a　philosopher；　it　is　casting



out　a　devil。　　And　however　quietly　doctors　and　psychologists　may　go



to　work　in　the　matter；　their　attitude　is　profoundly　intolerant



as　intolerant　as　Bloody　Mary。　　Their　attitude　is　really　this：　



that　the　man　must　stop　thinking；　if　he　is　to　go　on　living。　



Their　counsel　is　one　of　intellectual　amputation。　　If　thy　HEAD



offend　thee；　cut　it　off；　for　it　is　better；　not　merely　to　enter



the　Kingdom　of　Heaven　as　a　child；　but　to　enter　it　as　an　imbecile；



rather　than　with　your　whole　intellect　to　be　cast　into　hell



or　into　Hanwell。







　　　　　Such　is　the　madman　of　experience；　he　is　commonly　a　reasoner；



frequently　a　successful　reasoner。　　Doubtless　he　could　be　vanquished



in　mere　reason；　and　the　case　against　him　put　logically。　　But　it　can



be　put　much　more　precisely　in　more　general　and　even　aesthetic　terms。　



He　is　in　the　clean　and　well…lit　prison　of　one　idea：　　he　is



sharpened　to　one　painful　point。　　He　is　without　healthy　hesitation



and　healthy　complexity。　　Now；　as　I　explain　in　the　introduction；



I　have　determined　in　these　early　chapters　to　give　not　so　much



a　diagram　of　a　doctrine　as　some　pictures　of　a　point　of　view。　　And　I



have　described　at　length　my　vision　of　the　maniac　for　this　reason：　



that　just　as　I　am　affected　by　the　maniac；　so　I　am　affected　by　most



modern　thinkers。　　That　unmistakable　mood　or　note　that　I　hear



from　Hanwell；　I　hear　also　from　half　the　chairs　of　science　and　seats



of　learning　to…day；　and　most　of　the　mad　doctors　are　mad　doctors



in　more　senses　than　one。　　They　all　have　exactly　that　combination　we



have　noted：　　the　combination　of　an　expansive　and　exhaustive　reason