The Indianapolis sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1880-1904, 1885-05-24
SOME UGLY OLD ERRORS
WHERE THE METAPHYSICAL PHIL
OSOPHY BEGINS AND ENDS.
How Cruelty to Animals was Inculcated.
What Man Allows to the Inferior
Orders of Creation-The Sem
sible and Supersensible.
IOriginal.l

he began to reflect upon his own phenomena,
and to entertain questions in respect to his
own destiny, man has been studious TO assert
the superiority of his own over all the other
families of creatures by which the earth IS
inhabited, on the ground of his exclusive pos
session of that congeries of spiritual faculties
and activities upon understanding TO the
point of view from which it is considered
he has bestowed the titles of soul, mind,
reason and intellect In his contemplation,
reason is the peculiar and distinguishing
characteristic of humanity. That he is in
debted for this property to special act of
divine benefaction; that its conferment was
designed at once to establish and to symbol
ize relationship of essential community and
mutuality of interest between himself and
his transcendent patron, and his primacy
over all the other orders of the animate
creation, is point he never ceases to affirm
nor intermits his efforts to demonstrate.
1t is the disposition of humanity to attach
the idea of special worth to whatever prop
erty, faculty or capacity is peculiarly its
own. No sooner did man come into possession
of the idea that mind is the distinctive attri-
butte of his species than he began to commend
himself ON account of its ownership. A gift
of SO much dignity was evidence, not to be
disputed of the favor of his creator, and of
his title to dominion within the range Of his
environment. He alone has been lighted up,
by the author of all things, with spark of
his own immortal intelligence. In him the
natural and the supernatural are miracu-
lousy conjoined; and while, through his
material organism, he is related to the con-
ditioned and perishable upon one side,
through his psychical constitution he is allied
to the unconditional and the indestructible
on the other.
The effects of this persuasion are discover
able in two directions: 1. In persistent at
tempts, by interpretive methods, to obtain
objective evidence of its validity, of which
the results thus far have not been as unequiv-
ocal as would have been desired; and C9 in
a propensity SO to exalt the intellectual
above the other ingredients of the psychical
constitution as virtually to deny their exist
ence. and TO Danish them altogether beyond
the jurisdiction of his philosophy. Cropping
blindly in the penetralia Of his own interior
in search of proof of his divinity: striving
vainly TO bridge the chasm between the SEN
sible and the supersensible in the hope to
extend his explorations beyond the region Of
his consciousness, and, with a sense of failure
in his heart, dealing sophistically with his
own intelligence in attempts to convince him
self that he has succeeded, man has mani
tested the impotency of his reason under the
dominion of his conceit, and has perpetuated
the cearest possible proofs Of his littleness
in his abortive essays to illustrate his own
immensely. His case is that Of one who puts
the records of heraldry to torture for evil
dence of his nobility instead Of creating it by
course of conduct corresponding to the
dignity to which he pretends.
At what period in the history Of the human
race, and by what authority the dogma of
the immaculate conception of the mind was
promulgated, is question which the records,
sacred and secular alike, leave unanswered.
Its consequences, however, are distinguish
able from the earliest down to the latest
ages. They consist r) in the drawing of an
arbitrary line of distinction between the
conscious intellect and other elements OF the
psychical constitution which are only known
through their phenomena-the disproportion-
ate exaltation of the one, and the unworthy
disparagement or utter denial Of the exist
ence of the other; and C) In the arbitrary
division of the total spiritual principles Of
animate nature into two parts, one OF which,
under the names of soul, mind or intellect, Is
appropriated exclusively 20 humanity, while
- 4.
lotted With equal cxclusivcness TO the inferior
orders of the creation.
The time Is past, except In those regions
where erudition stands In the light Of intel
ligence and learning presents insuperable
impcdiments 10 ltnowledge-that IL to say, In
the domain of NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. such notions
10 find supporters. II In questionable
whether, In the distribution OF the psychical
faculties. man does greater injustice 10 the
brutes or 10 himself. Tho former have,
without doubt, been the severest losers, un.
der this system Of anticipated ignorance.
The dogma Of the earliest philosophers that
the orders Of inferior criminals are simply
automata, destitute Of feelings scnsibilitics,
tho capacity for suffering or enjoyment,
Cofifclouhn'sh vi fikhe oiie "i'bbf 'fs's"'"'
for friendship and enmity-which has boon
aud still continues 10 be tho cause OF an In
conceivable amount Of cruelty--is tho nat
ural and necessary concomitant OF that
canonIzation of tho intellect In which 80 vast
a capital Of human vanity II invested.
The philosopher, of course, has freedom 70
choose tho floia and tho predicates Of his
speculation He has tho right 10 measure
himself for his undertaking. and his under
taking by himself, But IL he sees ~ TO do
vote las faculties 10 useless and unpro
ductIve manipulation-to tho marshaiing OF
imaginary forces, or 10 computations with
unknown quantities. tho measure OF the
good he accomplishes should be the measure
OF tho fame no Ia permitted 10 enjoy. Any
form Of anthropological philosophy, In order
10 be- entitled 10 any respect whatever, must
take the actual human being the hypo-
thstical man. made up 10 suit some precon-