the unseen world and other essays-第1章

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The　Unseen　World　and　Other　Essays

by　John　Fiske



TO　JAMES　SIME。

MY　DEAR　SIME：

Life　has　now　and　then　some　supreme　moments　of　pure　happiness；　which　in　reminiscence　give　to　single　days　the　value　of　months　or　years。　Two　or　three　such　moments　it　has　been　my　good　fortune　to　enjoy　with　you；　in　talking　over　the　mysteries　which　forever　fascinate　while　they　forever　baffle　us。　It　was　our　midnight　talks　in　Great　Russell　Street　and　the　Addison　Road；　and　our　bright　May　holiday　on　the　Thames；　that　led　me　to　write　this　scanty　essay　on　the　〃Unseen　World；〃　and　to　whom　could　I　so　heartily　dedicate　it　as　to　you？　I　only　wish　it　were　more　worthy　of　its　origin。　As　for　the　dozen　papers　which　I　have　appended　to　it；　by　way　of　clearing　out　my　workshop；　I　hope　you　will　read　them　indulgently；　and　believe　me

Ever　faithfully　yours；　JOHN　FISKE。


HARVARD　UNIVERSITY；　February　3；　1876。




CONTENTS。

I。　　　THE　UNSEEN　WORLD　II。　　〃THE　TO…MORROW　OF　DEATH〃　III。　THE　JESUS　OF　HISTORY　IV。　　THE　CHRIST　OF　DOGMA　V。　　　A　WORD　ABOUT　MIRACLES　VI。　　DRAPER　ON　SCIENCE　AND　RELIGION　VII。　NATHAN　THE　WISE　VIII。HISTORICAL　DIFFICULTIES　IX。　　THE　FAMINE　OF　1770　IN　BENGAL　X。　　　SPAIN　AND　THE　NETHERLANDS　XI。　　LONGFELLOW'S　DANTE　XII。　PAINE'S　〃ST。　PETER〃　XIII。A　PHILOSOPHY　OF　ART　XIV。　ATHENIAN　AND　AMERICAN　LIFE



ESSAYS。

I。　THE　UNSEEN　WORLD。

PART　FIRST。

〃What　are　you；　where　did　you　come　from；　and　whither　are　you　bound？〃the　question　which　from　Homer's　days　has　been　put　to　the　wayfarer　in　strange　landsis　likewise　the　all…absorbing　question　which　man　is　ever　asking　of　the　universe　of　which　he　is　himself　so　tiny　yet　so　wondrous　a　part。　From　the　earliest　times　the　ultimate　purpose　of　all　scientific　research　has　been　to　elicit　fragmentary　or　partial　responses　to　this　question；　and　philosophy　has　ever　busied　itself　in　piecing　together　these　several　bits　of　information　according　to　the　best　methods　at　its　disposal；　in　order　to　make　up　something　like　a　satisfactory　answer。　In　old　times　the　best　methods　which　philosophy　had　at　its　disposal　for　this　purpose　were　such　as　now　seem　very　crude；　and　accordingly　ancient　philosophers　bungled　considerably　in　their　task；　though　now　and　then　they　came　surprisingly　near　what　would　to…day　be　called　the　truth。　It　was　natural　that　their　methods　should　be　crude；　for　scientific　inquiry　had　as　yet　supplied　but　scanty　materials　for　them　to　work　with；　and　it　was　only　after　a　very　long　course　of　speculation　and　criticism　that　men　could　find　out　what　ways　of　going　to　work　are　likely　to　prove　successful　and　what　are　not。　The　earliest　thinkers；　indeed；　were　further　hindered　from　accomplishing　much　by　the　imperfections　of　the　language　by　the　aid　of　which　their　thinking　was　done；　for　science　and　philosophy　have　had　to　make　a　serviceable　terminology　by　dint　of　long　and　arduous　trial　and　practice；　and　linguistic　processes　fit　for　expressing　general　or　abstract　notions　accurately　grew　up　only　through　numberless　failures　and　at　the　expense　of　much　inaccurate　thinking　and　loose　talking。　As　in　most　of　nature's　processes；　there　was　a　great　waste　of　energy　before　a　good　result　could　be　secured。　Accordingly　primitive　men　were　very　wide　of　the　mark　in　their　views　of　nature。　To　them　the　world　was　a　sort　of　enchanted　ground；　peopled　with　sprites　and　goblins；　the　quaint　notions　with　which　we　now　amuse　our　children　in　fairy　tales　represent　a　style　of　thinking　which　once　was　current　among　grown　men　and　women；　and　which　is　still　current　wherever　men　remain　in　a　savage　condition。　The　theories　of　the　world　wrought　out　by　early　priest…philosophers　were　in　great　part　made　up　of　such　grotesque　notions；　and　having　become　variously　implicated　with　ethical　opinions　as　to　the　nature　and　consequences　of　right　and　wrong　behaviour；　they　acquired　a　kind　of　sanctity；　so　that　any　thinker　who　in　the　light　of　a　wider　experience　ventured　to　alter　or　amend　the　primitive　theory　was　likely　to　be　vituperated　as　an　irreligious　man　or　atheist。　This　sort　of　inference　has　not　yet　been　wholly　abandoned；　even　in　civilized　communities。　Even　to…day　books　are　written　about　〃the　conflict　between　religion　and　science；〃　and　other　books　are　written　with　intent　to　reconcile　the　two　presumed　antagonists。　But　when　we　look　beneath　the　surface　of　things；　we　see　that　in　reality　there　has　never　been　any　conflict　between　religion　and　science；　nor　is　any　reconciliation　called　for　where　harmony　has　always　existed。　The　real　historical　conflict；　which　has　been　thus　curiously　misnamed；　has　been　the　conflict　between　the　more…crude　opinions　belonging　to　the　science　of　an　earlier　age　and　the　less…crude　opinions　belonging　to　the　science　of　a　later　age。　In　the　course　of　this　contest　the　more…crude　opinions　have　usually　been　defended　in　the　name　of　religion；　and　the　less…crude　opinions　have　invariably　won　the　victory；　but　religion　itself；　which　is　not　concerned　with　opinion；　but　with　the　aspiration　which　leads　us　to　strive　after　a　purer　and　holier　life；　has　seldom　or　never　been　attacked。　On　the　contrary；　the　scientific　men　who　have　conducted　the　battle　on　behalf　of　the　less…crude　opinions　have　generally　been　influenced　by　this　religious　aspiration　quite　as　strongly　as　the　apologists　of　the　more…crude　opinions；　and　so　far　from　religious　feeling　having　been　weakened　by　their　perennial　series　of　victories；　it　has　apparently　been　growing　deeper　and　stronger　all　the　time。　The　religious　sense　is　as　yet　too　feebly　developed　in　most　of　us；　but　certainly　in　no　preceding　age　have　men　taken　up　the　work　of　life　with　more　earnestness　or　with　more　real　faith　in　the　unseen　than　at　the　present　day；　when　so　much　of　what　was　once　deemed　all…important　knowledge　has　been　consigned　to　the　limbo　of　mythology。

The　more…crude　theories　of　early　times　are　to　be　chiefly　distinguished　from　the　less…crude　theories　of　to…day　as　being　largely　the　products　of　random　guesswork。　Hypothesis；　or　guesswork；　indeed；　lies　at　the　foundation　of　all　scientific　knowledge。　The　riddle　of　the　universe；　like　less　important　riddles；　is　unravelled　only　by　approximative　trials；　and　the　most　brilliant　discoverers　have　usually　been　the　bravest　guessers。　Kepler's　laws　were　the　result　of　indefatigable　guessing；　and　so；　in　a　somewhat　different　sense；　was　the　wave…theory　of　light。　But　the　guesswork　of　scientific　inquirers　is　very　different　now　from　what　it　was　in　older　times。　In　the　first　place；　we　have　slowly　learned　that　a　guess　must　be　verified　before　it　can　be　accepted　as　a　sound　theory；　and；　secondly；　so　many　truths　have　been　established　beyond　contravention；　that　the　latitude　for　hypothesis　is　much　less　than　it　once　was。　Nine　tenths　of　the　guesses　which　might　have　occurred　to　a　mediaeval　philosopher　would　now　be　ruled　out　as　inadmissible；　because　they　would　not　harmonize　with　the　knowledge　which　has　been　acquired　since　the　Middle　Ages。　There　is　one　direction　especially　in　which　this　continuous　limitation　of　guesswork　by　ever…accumulating　experience　has　manifested　itself。　From　first　to　last；　all　our　speculative　successes　and　failures　have　agreed　in　teaching　us　that　the　most　general　principles　of　action　which　prevail　to…day；　and　in　our　own　corner　of　the　universe；　have　always　prevailed　throughout　as　much　of　the　universe　as　is　accessible　to　our　research。　They　have　taught　us　that　for　the　deciphering　of　the　past　and　the　predicting　of　the　future；　no　hypotheses　are　admissible　which　are　not　based　upon　the　actual　behaviour　of　things　in　the　present。　Once　there　was　unlimited　facility　for　guessing　as　to　how　the　solar　system　might　have　come　into　existence；　now　the　origin　of　the　sun　and　planets　is　adequately　explained　when　we　have　unfolded　all　that　is　implied　in　the　processes　which　are　still　going　on　in　the　solar　system。　Formerly　appeals　were　made　to　all　manner　of　violent　agencies　to　account　for　the　changes　which　the　earth's　surface　has　undergone　since　our　planet　began　its　independent　career；　now　it　is　seen　that　the　same　slow　working　of　rain　and　tide；　of　wind　and　wave　and　frost；　of　secular　contraction　and　of　earthquake　pulse；　which　is　visible　to…day；　will　account　for　the　whole。　It　is　not　long　since　it　was　supposed　that　a　species　of　animals　or　plants　could　be　swept　away　only　by　some　unusual　catastrophe；　while　for　the　origination　of　new　species　something　called　an　act　of