the unseen world and other essays-第11章

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world　is　a　mere　reproduction　of　the　present；　with　its　everlasting　huntings　and　fightings。　The　early　Christians　looked　forward　to　a　renovation　of　the　earth　and　the　bodily　resurrection　from　Sheol　of　the　righteous。　The　pictures　of　hell　and　purgatory；　and　even　of　paradise；　in　Dante's　great　poem；　are　so　intensely　materialistic　as　to　seem　grotesque　in　this　more　spiritual　age。　But　even　to…day　the　popular　conceptions　of　heaven　are　by　no　means　freed　from　the　notion　of　matter；　and　persons　of　high　culture；　who　realize　the　inadequacy　of　these　popular　conceptions；　are　wont　to　avoid　the　difficulty　by　refraining　from　putting　their　hopes　and　beliefs　into　any　definite　or　describable　form。　Not　unfrequently　one　sees　a　smile　raised　at　the　assumption　of　knowledge　or　insight　by　preachers　who　describe　in　eloquent　terms　the　joys　of　a　future　state；　yet　the　smile　does　not　necessarily　imply　any　scepticism　as　to　the　abstract　probability　of　the　soul's　survival。　The　scepticism　is　aimed　at　the　character　of　the　description　rather　than　at　the　reality　of　the　thing　described。　It　implies　a　tacit　agreement；　among　cultivated　people；　that　the　unseen　world　must　be　purely　spiritual　in　constitution。　The　agreement　is　not　habitually　expressed　in　definite　formulas；　for　the　reason　that　no　mental　image　of　a　purely　spiritual　world　can　be　formed。　Much　stress　is　commonly　laid　upon　the　recognition　of　friends　in　a　future　life；　and　however　deep　a　meaning　may　be　given　to　the　phrase　〃the　love　of　God；〃　one　does　not　easily　realize　that　a　heavenly　existence　could　be　worth　the　longing　that　is　felt　for　it；　if　it　were　to　afford　no　further　scope　for　the　pure　and　tender　household　affections　which　give　to　the　present　life　its　powerful　though　indefinable　charm。　Yet　the　recognition　of　friends　in　a　purely　spiritual　world　is　something　of　which　we　can　frame　no　conception　whatever。　We　may　look　with　unspeakable　reverence　on　the　features　of　wife　or　child；　less　because　of　their　physical　beauty　than　because　of　the　beauty　of　soul　to　which　they　give　expression；　but　to　imagine　the　perception　of　soul　by　soul　apart　from　the　material　structure　and　activities　in　which　soul　is　manifested；　is　something　utterly　beyond　our　power。　Nay；　even　when　we　try　to　represent　to　ourselves　the　psychical　activity　of　any　single　soul　by　itself　as　continuing　without　the　aid　of　the　physical　machinery　of　sensation；　we　get　into　unmanageable　difficulties。　A　great　part　of　the　contents　of　our　minds　consists　of　sensuous　（chiefly　visual）　images；　and　though　we　may　imagine　reflection　to　go　on　without　further　images　supplied　by　vision　or　hearing；　touch　or　taste　or　smell；　yet　we　cannot　well　see　how　fresh　experiences　could　be　gained　in　such　a　state。　The　reader；　if　he　require　further　illustrations；　can　easily　follow　out　this　line　of　thought。　Enough　has　no　doubt　been　said　to　convince　him　that　our　hypothesis　of　the　survival　of　conscious　activity　apart　from　material　conditions　is　not　only　utterly　unsupported　by　any　evidence　that　can　be　gathered　from　the　world　of　which　we　have　experience；　but　is　utterly　and　hopelessly　inconceivable。

It　is　inconceivable　BECAUSE　it　is　entirely　without　foundation　in　experience。　Our　powers　of　conception　are　closely　determined　by　the　limits　of　our　experience。　When　a　proposition；　or　combination　of　ideas；　is　suggested；　for　which　there　has　never　been　any　precedent　in　human　experience；　we　find　it　to　be　UNTHINKABLE；the　ideas　will　not　combine。　The　proposition　remains　one　which　we　may　utter　and　defend；　and　perhaps　vituperate　our　neighbours　for　not　accepting；　but　it　remains　none　the　less　an　unthinkable　proposition。　It　takes　terms　which　severally　have　meanings　and　puts　them　together　into　a　phrase　which　has　no　meaning。＇11＇　Now　when　we　try　to　combine　the　idea　of　the　continuance　of　conscious　activity　with　the　idea　of　the　entire　cessation　of　material　conditions；　and　thereby　to　assert　the　existence　of　a　purely　spiritual　world；　we　find　that　we　have　made　an　unthinkable　proposition。　We　may　defend　our　hypothesis　as　passionately　as　we　like；　but　when　we　strive　coolly　to　realize　it　in　thought　we　find　ourselves　baulked　at　every　step。

＇11＇　See　my　Outlines　of　Cosmic　Philosophy；　Vol。　I。　pp。　64…67。


But　now　we　have　to　ask；　How　much　does　this　inconceivability　signify？　In　most　cases；　when　we　say　that　a　statement　is　inconceivable；　we　practically　declare　it　to　be　untrue；　when　we　say　that　a　statement　is　without　warrant　in　experience；　we　plainly　indicate　that　we　consider　it　unworthy　of　our　acceptance。　This　is　legitimate　in　the　majority　of　cases　with　which　we　have　to　deal　in　the　course　of　life；　because　experience；　and　the　capacities　of　thought　called　out　and　limited　by　experience；　are　our　only　guides　in　the　conduct　of　life。　But　every　one　will　admit　that　our　experience　is　not　infinite；　and　that　our　capacity　of　conception　is　not　coextensive　with　the　possibilities　of　existence。　It　is　not　only　possible；　but　in　the　very　highest　degree　probable；　that　there　are　many　things　in　heaven；　if　not　on　earth；　which　are　undreamed　of　in　our　philosophy。　Since　our　ability　to　conceive　anything　is　limited　by　the　extent　of　our　experience；　and　since　human　experience　is　very　far　from　being　infinite；　it　follows　that　there　may　be；　and　in　all　probability　is；　an　immense　region　of　existence　in　every　way　as　real　as　the　region　which　we　know；　yet　concerning　which　we　cannot　form　the　faintest　rudiment　of　a　conception。　Any　hypothesis　relating　to　such　a　region　of　existence　is　not　only　not　disproved　by　the　total　failure　of　evidence　in　its　favour；　but　the　total　failure　of　evidence　does　not　raise　even　the　slightest　prima　facie　presumption　against　its　validity。

These　considerations　apply　with　great　force　to　the　hypothesis　of　an　unseen　world　in　which　psychical　phenomena　persist　in　the　absence　of　material　conditions。　It　is　true；　on　the　one　hand；　that　we　can　bring　up　no　scientific　evidence　in　support　of　such　an　hypothesis。　But　on　the　other　hand　it　is　equally　true　that　in　the　very　nature　of　things　no　such　evidence　could　be　expected　to　be　forthcoming：　even　were　there　such　evidence　in　abundance；　it　could　not　be　accessible　to　us。　The　existence　of　a　single　soul；　or　congeries　of　psychical　phenomena；　unaccompanied　by　a　material　body；　would　be　evidence　sufficient　to　demonstrate　the　hypothesis。　But　in　the　nature　of　things；　even　were　there　a　million　such　souls　round　about　us；　we　could　not　become　aware　of　the　existence　of　one　of　them；　for　we　have　no　organ　or　faculty　for　the　perception　of　soul　apart　from　the　material　structure　and　activities　in　which　it　has　been　manifested　throughout　the　whole　course　of　our　experience。　Even　our　own　self…consciousness　involves　the　consciousness　of　ourselves　as　partly　material　bodies。　These　considerations　show　that　our　hypothesis　is　very　different　from　the　ordinary　hypotheses　with　which　science　deals。　The　entire　absence　of　testimony　does　not　raise　a　negative　presumption　except　in　cases　where　testimony　is　accessible。　In　the　hypotheses　with　which　scientific　men　are　occupied；　testimony　is　always　accessible；　and　if　we　do　not　find　any；　the　presumption　is　raised　that　there　is　none。　When　Dr。　Bastian　tells　us　that　he　has　found　living　organisms　to　be　generated　in　sealed　flasks　from　which　all　living　germs　had　been　excluded；　we　demand　the　evidence　for　his　assertion。　The　testimony　of　facts　is　in　this　case　hard　to　elicit；　and　only　skilful　reasoners　can　properly　estimate　its　worth。　But　still　it　is　all　accessible。　With　more　or　less　labour　it　can　be　got　at；　and　if　we　find　that　Dr。　Bastian　has　produced　no　evidence　save　such　as　may　equally　well　receive　a　different　interpretation　from　that　which　he　has　given　it；　we　rightly　feel　that　a　strong　presumption　has　been　raised　against　his　hypothesis。　It　is　a　case　in　which　we　are　entitled　to　expect　to　find　the　favouring　facts　if　there　are　any；　and　so　long　as　we　do　not　find　such；　we　are　justified　in　doubting　their　existence。　So　when　our　authors　propound　the　hypothesis　of　an　unseen　universe　consisting　of　phenomena　which　occur　in　the　interstellar　ether；　or　even　in　some　primordial　fluid　with　which　the　ether　has　physical　relations；　we　are　entitled　to　demand　their　proofs。　It　is　not　enough　to　tell　us　that　we　cannot　disprove　such　a　theory。　The　burden　of　proof　lies　with　them。　The　interstellar　ether　is　something　concerning　the　physical　properties　of　whic