The Washington times., 1894-11-09
OUR REASON POINTS TO GOD
Bishop Keane'S Lecture on THE Two
World PHILOSOPHERS. "
ERRORS OF THE MATERIALIST
socratic Philosophy Contrasted with That of
the Atomic and Cosmic schools-Its Re-
vival by Modern Philosophers-Firs of
the Catholic University Lectures.

Bishop Keane opened the fall course of
public lectures at the Catholic University yes
terday afternoon with an address on The
two world PHILOSOPHERS" The lecture-room
of the theological building was comfortably
filed with interested listeners, many of whom
were from the city.
After brief introduction, dwelling on the
value and Importance of historical study OF
his subject. Bishop Keane proceeded TO an
analysis of the two antagonistic world philoso-
phies which for twenty-five centuries have
swayed the minds of students and thinkers.
This he did under three heads or epochs, the
first dating from the time OF Socrates. in the
fifth century preceding the Christian era, the
second embracing the early days of Chris
| tianity and the ascendance of the Roman en-
pire, and third including modern philosophy
down to the last decade OF the nineteenth
century.
The question asked by philosophers OF all
schools is: 'What is the Interpretation of the
universe?"
The question was answered by philosophers
Of the atomic schools, Heraclitus, Democritus,
and later. Epicurus, with the dictum that mat
ter alone exists, that all phenomena owe
themselves TO the blind play of forces with
out intelligent causation.
Socrates refuted these philosophers with
the doctrine of intelligent and invariable
causation. He saw that the central fact of
the universe was man. He saw that the two
great facts of mans existence were reason
and conscience.
Looking out through mans reason he dis
cernsd a supreme intelligence above man, the
great cause of things; looking out through
mans conscience he saw supreme good, the
infallible standard of right and wrong. This
supreme intelligence and supreme goodness
were outside of man, outside of the universe:
not immanent; not part of it.nor the whole
of it, but a superior and controlling spirit
From mans reason and conscience he further
deduced the Immortality of the soul. Socrates,
in word, saw God in the universe as the
cause of causes.
In the second epoch Cicero followed the
Soeratic philosophy, and Aristotle, Plato, and
others taught it in modified forms. But in
this epoch it was Jesus Christ who gave to
this philosophy new meaning and to man 8
place in the universe a new dignity Jesus
Christ not only redeemed the world but he
placed its philosophy on a sound and stable
foundation.
Coming down to our own epoch Bishop
Keane criticized the cosmic philosophy Of
Comte, was thought to furnish not only a
valid philosophy but a new religion to the
world. This philosophy came at q time when
people were tired of metaphysics when Ger
man idealism had gone to extremes, and when
scientific investigation began to reveal the
hitherto unknown.
People, however, are not above applying to
philosophy the practical test of its ability to
meet the facts of life, and this test has been
applied thoroughly to the philosophy of cos
mic evolution both by scientific observers and
by metaphysicians. The result has been that
the cosmic philosophy fails TO supply an ade-
quate explanation OF the universe.
Bishop Keane here read a number of ex-
tracts from recent scientific writing, notably
from Prof. Huxley's late Romanes lecture,
showing the trend of modern scientific
thought toward the old doctrine of superior
intelligence operating upon the material uni
verse, and the futility OF the attempt of the
materialistic philosophy to account for the
great fact of human consciousness.
Prof. Huxley. said Bishop Keane. admitted
the premises of the Socratic philosophy. He
only shrunk from the conclusions. There is
nothing new under the sun. The old Socratic
doctrine of causation has appeared in the lat
est expression of modern scientific thought
scientific authority, has said the evidences
are strong about US of a purposeful and be-
nevolent intelligence working in the material
universe.
The next lecture in this course will be given
by Rev. Prof. Thomas j. Shahan, November
15 on John Baptist de Rossi."