第9页

Speaking as Chinese, I do not think that any civilization can be called complete until it has progressed from sophistication to un-sophistication, and made a conscious return t simplicity of thinking and living, and I call no man wise until he has made the progress from the wisdom of knowledge to the wisdom of foolishness, and become a laughing philosopher, feeling first life is a tragedy and then life is comedy. For we must weep before we can laugh. Out of sadness comes the awakening and out of the awakening comes the laughter of the philosopher, with kindliness and tolerance to boot..

The world, I believe, is far too serious, and being far too serious; it has the need of a wise and merry philosophy. The philosophy of the Chinese art of living can certainly be called the "gay science", if anything can be called by that phrase used by Nietzsche.