However plausible, rational, and, above all, seductive these new philosophies of “indulgence” which have sprung up in the last century may seem, regrettably they know little about the inner nature of desire. While there is some basis for criticism of the methods employed by religions to condemn human nature and to inoculate souls with an often unwarranted sense of guilt, and while, no doubt, violent repression of impulses may produce moral monsters, the path of “indulgence” in no way leads to the results these philosophies promise. They err because they think that indulgence will deliver satisfaction to souls, but this, by the means proposed, is very, very fleeting. Indulgence does not make the indulgent master of desires, any more than desires are overcome by repression. Perennial satisfaction comes from a peaceful elevation over the flesh, a turning entirely to something higher, which is nothing other than the adoption of a scale of values different from that of ordinary men. But there it is: for the new philosophers of indulgence, adopting such a scale is unthinkable. What they will never understand is that not every man suffers from desire, because there are those who make its manifestations simply insignificant.
The New Philosophies of “Indulgence”
