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PARTISAN REVIEW
Future of Science,
Renan clearly formulates his intention to inculcate "faith
into reason." Thus, rather than being used to combat faith, rationality is itself
an article of faith. Throughout his life, Renan was to maintain the same
world-view and the same objectives: describing himself as a new type of
priest, he never tired of repeating that science would lead to the only true
resurrection: "the world improved through science
will
be the kingdom of the
spirit, and bring about the reign of the sons of God." Like Saint-Simon and
Auguste Comte before him (though he held the latter thinkers in contempt),
Renan ends up refuting his own point of departure, transforming into a reli–
gion what he originally presented as a liberation from religion.
Let us now turn to Michelet, that great French historian of the nine–
teenth century, held in high esteem by Renan and himself an admirer of the
principles of the French Revolution. Michelet was the first major spokesman
of that strange ideological hybrid known as republican nationalism. Ofwhat
does it consist? Enlightenment philosophy, after having brought to light the
crucial distinction between patriotism and cosmopolitanism, between love of
one's country and love of humanity,had pointed out that these two attitudes
were in conflict-often only potentially, but sometimes quite openly-and
concluded that, should one be obliged to choose between them, preference
should be afforded the universal over the particular. "If I knew of some ac–
tion which would be advantageous to my nation but ruinous to another, I
would not recommend it to my prince, for I am a man before I am a
Frenchman," wrote Montesquieu; and Rousseau concurred: the citizen comes
after the man. The revolutionaries of 1789 were familiar with these distinc–
tions; however, since it was incumbent upon them to direct the political affairs
of a particular country-France-they had to seek to satisry particular inter–
ests. These contradictory aspirations can be discerned in the very title of the
first Declaration of Rights, that dealing with the rights "ofMan and Citizen"–
a profoundly anti-Rousseauist appellation, though its authors surely intended
the contrary. How can one manage to reconcile these incompatible
requirements? Michelet will be helpful in answering this question, as he ren–
dered explicit what the very protagonists of the Revolution left implicit.
As of his first major work, the
Introduction to Universal History,
Michelet prepares for this tour de force by postulating the equivalence be–
tween France and the universe (and thus, potentially, between French
patriotism-such as his-and humanitarianism): "This little book," he announces
on the first page, "might also have been entitled
Introduction to the History of
France;
for it culminates with France." In what way is France identical with
the universe? Since the Revolution (and, in fact, even long before), France
has based its identity on the principles of liberty, equality, and fraternity–
which, it goes without saying, are universal values par excellence. This
