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'300' A。 C。 Fraser:  Philosophy of Theism; second edition;



Edinburgh and London; 1899; especially part ii; chaps。 vii。 and



viii。  A。 Seth 'Pringle…Pattison':  Hegelianism and Personality;



Ibid。; 1890; passim。















The most persuasive arguments in favor of a concrete individual



Soul of the world; with which I am acquainted; are those of my



colleague; Josiah Royce; in his Religious Aspect of Philosophy;



Boston; 1885; in his Conception of God; New York and London;



1897; and lately in his Aberdeen Gifford Lectures; The World and



the Individual; 2 vols。; New York and London; 1901…02。  I



doubtless seem to some of my readers to evade the philosophic



duty which my thesis in this lecture imposes on me; by not even



attempting to meet Professor Royce's arguments articulately。  I



admit the momentary evasion。  In the present lectures; which are



cast throughout in a popular mould; there seemed no room for



subtle metaphysical discussion; and for tactical purposes it was



sufficient the contention of philosophy being what it is (namely;



that religion can be transformed into a universally convincing



science); to point to the fact that no religious philosophy has



actually convinced the mass of thinkers。  Meanwhile let me say



that I hope that the present volume may be followed by another;



if I am spared to write it; in which not only Professor Royce's



arguments; but others for monistic absolutism shall be considered



with all the technical fullness which their great importance



calls for。  At present I resign myself to lying passive under the



reproach of superficiality。







What religion reports; you must remember; always purports to be a



fact of experience:  the divine is actually present; religion



says; and between it and ourselves relations of give and take are



actual。  If definite perceptions of fact like this cannot stand



upon their own feet; surely abstract reasoning cannot give them



the support they are in need of。  Conceptual processes can class



facts; define them; interpret them; but they do not produce them;



nor can they reproduce their individuality。  There is always a



PLUS; a THISNESS; which feeling alone can answer for。  Philosophy



in this sphere is thus a secondary function; unable to warrant



faith's veracity; and so I revert to the thesis which I announced



at the beginning of this lecture。







In all sad sincerity I think we must conclude that the attempt to



demonstrate by purely intellectual processes the truth of the



deliverances of direct religious experience is absolutely



hopeless。







It would be unfair to philosophy; however; to leave her under



this negative sentence。  Let me close; then; by briefly



enumerating what she CAN do for religion。  If she will abandon



metaphysics and deduction for criticism and induction; and



frankly transform herself from theology into science of



religions; she can make herself enormously useful。







The spontaneous intellect of man always defines the divine which



it feels in ways that harmonize with its temporary intellectual



prepossessions。  Philosophy can by comparison eliminate the local



and the accidental from these definitions。  Both from dogma and



from worship she can remove historic incrustations。  By



confronting the spontaneous religious constructions with the



results of natural science; philosophy can also eliminate



doctrines that are now known to be scientifically absurd or



incongruous。



 



Sifting out in this way unworthy formulations; she can leave a



residuum of conceptions that at least are possible。 With these



she can deal as HYPOTHESES; testing them in all the manners;



whether negative or positive; by which hypotheses are ever



tested。  She can reduce their number; as some are found more open



to objection。  She can perhaps become the champion of one which



she picks out as being the most closely verified or verifiable。 



She can refine upon the definition of this hypothesis;



distinguishing between what is innocent over…belief and symbolism



in the expression of it; and what is to be literally taken。  As a



result; she can offer mediation between different believers; and



help to bring about consensus of opinion。  She can do this the



more successfully; the better she discriminates the common and



essential from the individual and local elements of the religious



beliefs which she compares。







I do not see why a critical Science of Religions of this sort



might not eventually command as general a public adhesion as is



commanded by a physical science。  Even the personally



non…religious might accept its conclusions on trust; much as



blind persons now accept the facts of opticsit might appear as



foolish to refuse them。  Yet as the science of optics has to be



fed in the first instance; and continually verified later; by



facts experienced by seeing persons; so the science of religions



would depend for its original material on facts of personal



experience; and would have to square itself with personal



experience through all its critical reconstructions。  It could



never get away from concrete life; or work in a conceptual



vacuum。  It would forever have to confess; as every science



confesses; that the subtlety of nature flies beyond it; and that



its formulas are but approximations。 Philosophy lives in words;



but truth and fact well up into our lives in ways that exceed



verbal formulation。  There is in the living act of perception



always something that glimmers and twinkles and will not be



caught; and for which reflection comes too late。  No one knows



this as well as the philosopher。  He must fire his volley of new



vocables out of his conceptual shotgun; for his profession



condemns him to this industry; but he secretly knows the



hollowness and irrelevancy。 His formulas are like stereoscopic or



kinetoscopic photographs seen outside the instrument; they lack



the depth; the motion; the vitality。  In the religious sphere; in



particular; belief that formulas are true can never wholly take



the place of personal experience。







In my next lecture I will try to complete my rough description of



religious experience; and in the lecture after that; which is the



last one; I will try my hand at formulating conceptually the



truth to which it is a witness。






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