"David Hume - Of the Rise and Progress of the Arts and Sciences" - читать интересную книгу автора (Hume David)

or statute. An unlimited despotism of this nature, while it
exists, effectually puts a stop to all improvements, and keeps
men from attaining that knowledge, which is requisite to
instruct them in the advantages, arising from a better police,
and more moderate authority.

Here then are the advantages of free states. Though a republic
should be barbarous, it necessarily, by an infallible
operation, gives rise to Law, even before mankind have made
any considerable advances in the other sciences. From law
arises security: From security curiosity: And from curiosity
knowledge. The latter steps of this progress may be more
accidental; but the former are altogether necessary. A
republic without laws can never have any duration. On the
contrary, in a monarchical government, law arises not
necessarily from the forms of government. Monarchy, when
absolute, contains even something repugnant to law. Great
wisdom and reflection can alone reconcile them. But such a
degree of wisdom can never be expected, before the greater
refinements and improvements of human reason. These
refinements require curiosity, security, and law. The first
growth, therefore, of the arts and sciences can never be
expected in despotic governments.

There are other causes, which discourage the rise of the
refined arts in despotic governments; though I take the want
of laws, and the delegation of full powers to every petty
magistrate, to be the principal. Eloquence certainly springs
up more naturally in popular governments: Emulation too in
every accomplishment must there be more animated and
enlivened: And genius and capacity have a fuller scope and
career. All these causes render free governments the only
proper nursery for the arts and sciences.

The next observation, which I shall make on this head, is,
That nothing is more favourable to the rise of politeness and
learning, than a number of neighbouring and independent
states, connected together by commerce and policy. The
emulation, which naturally arises among those neighbouring
states, is an obvious source of improvement: But what I would
chiefly insist on is the stop, which such limited territories
give both to power and to authority.

Extended governments, where a single person has great
influence, soon become absolute; but small ones change
naturally into commonwealths. A large government is accustomed
by degrees to tyranny; because each act of violence is at
first performed upon a part, which, being distant from the
majority, is not taken notice of, nor excites any violent
ferment. Besides, a large government, though the whole be