The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-11-23


world originates in an act of faith
Here, then, in this broad fact, our author
finds the reasonable basis Of religion
just as faith or instinct having given us
the cosnic world a reality, science dis
covers the principles which underlie ito
phenomena. SO, faith or instinct having
given us the moral world a. a reality. ana
lytical reason and a study of the human
character perform with regard 10 the moral
world an office of the same kind TteY
discover the principles involved. by direct
assent or implication. in the Judgments,
activities, actions and sentiments Of which
human life. in it, higher manifestations
is composed; and amongst these principles
they find that the most Fundamental are tho
three elementary doctrines which constitute
the religion q theismthe doctrines that
men are free and are not mere cosinc au-
tomato that they have some life which
outlasts the dissolution of physical organ.
| ism and that between their lives and tho
supreme cause of the universe a personal
| relationship slbsists in virtue Of which
human affairs are invested with a meaning
and Importance impercsp lille to the eye OF
ordinary obser walton. II is true that these
doctrines have not leen held consciously
| by all Of the higher races during the past
hist DRY Of the world; but these races have
| been animated at all events by unconscious
or sub conscious assumptions Of which
these three doctrines are the only logical
expression; and with every advance which
is made in positive knowledge, and with
! every enlargement Of our conception Of
things which results from IL any substitute
! for these doctrines becomes more and moro
| impossit le"
Since then each OF Tho two worlds the
! cosmic world and the morals appre-
hended and accepted as reality by a
similar act of faith by n sensitive. by an
| instructive. and not by any cognitive pro-
! cess; and since each OF the two worlds when
we thus accept it. is found TO imply propos-
| lions which are for the human intellect
| absolutely irreconcilable and contra
| dictory, we are performing no act Of a new.
| unique. rash and unreasonable kind in ac-
| ceDting the doctrines Of religion as tho
| principles of the moral world, together with
the laws OF science which are the principles
/ o! the cosmic world; though II is absolutely
! impossible for US, by any mental ingenuity
70 conceive how the latter are emprically
susceptible Of any union or cooperation
with the former. In believing that God.
freedom and the immortal soul exist in the
cosmic world. though that world reveals
violence to reason than we are when We
assert as we all do, that this cosmic world
Is real-that it exists outside ourselves. and
that science, within limits. is it's true, and
the only true Interpreter
Thus we arrive at Mr.. Malock's ultimate
! conclusion, which Il that, If religion. in the
face Of modern knowledge, is ever TO be
reestab!ished on a firm. intellectual basis,
this result must be brought about by a
recognition Of the intellectual truths that
the existence OF nothing in it's totally
can ever b. grasped by the human in-
tclect; that the totality Of things in general.
and the totally Of each thing in particular,
= a tree OF such enormous girth that our
arms are too short 10 clasp it. and in
stead OF meeting around It, extend them
selves In opposite directions Our author
holds that, If we learn to recognize the
scope and the significance of this profound
truth, we shall at once become conscious
OF sense OF intellectual emancipation:
and, In dealing with the facts of the cosmio
and the moral worlds, We shall no longer
feel ourselves bound either TO sacrifice the
one TO the other. or To sacrifice our own
honesty in fantastic and degrading at
tempts to effect in terms OF the intellect
reconciliation between the two OF such
in the book before US. They are thus
described in the final chapter First.
there is that Of the ordinary reli gious apollo
gist, who, with desperate Observation-Disclosures
or ignorance, endeavors 10 vindicate tho
reality of God and of moral freedom by
reading into the facts OF science a meaning
which they will not bear. Secondly. there
is tina, of our quasi-scicntidc idealists.
who, instead of tampering with the facts
Of science in detail. endaavOr TO repre-
sent them as facts Of an abstract and nom
real world, and thus TO absorb the cosmio
world in the moral. Lastly, there is that
of the mol1rn scientific monsts. who
endeavor to absorb the moral world il the
, cosmic. and, whilst rejecting the doctrine OF
re!ision. to supply Us with moral equiva-
lent And all these attempts are, az we have
: seen, failures Theyarc more than failures.
They are ridiculous and ignominious fall
urcs: and, il anything, in the eyes Of ordi-
nary reasonable mon, could make The
doctrines and the significance OF th,istio
reli zion contemptib!e. it would be the
arguments employed by our modnrn apollo
gifts to defend thCm." Mr.. Nal Jck hastons
to add that the fault does not lie with the
character Of the apoiogi,ts personally.
1T lies with the character OF the impos.i-
. 1 Dc TASK WHICH lN'y nav h'iNirINdn'i'
The cosmc world with it, uniformity, and
the moral world with its freedom, can no
, more b. held together by III" intellect.
Ia such manner u 10 form an intelis! bic
; whole, than two masses Of wall which are
falling in opposite directions can b. held
together with postage stamp
; How then, would Mr.. NJ lock accomplish
the synthesis Of the free and the necessary
of the free lom essential TO the moral
world and the necessity characteristic
Of the cCsnc world? His answer Is that
a synthesis cannot b. ACCOMPLISHED at
, all in any way which the logical reason
or cognitive faculty can comprehend.
But" he says. "what philosophers clnrot
DO to the satisfaction e the intell"c,. tho
mass OF m1nkni does in Oh, Hence 10 the
practical relson--to an orr nal Instinct,
as Reid calls 1t, or to a primlrv instinct
or preposssssipn, as Hume calls II, II
untes the FIRE, AMI the necessary in SYM
thesis. the practic al truth Of which it attests
| from generation to generation 10y its love.
| bv it's blood, by its tears, by its Joys, by
. / -. t.. Y, xwtI