lecture03-第1节

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Lecture　III







THE　REALITY　OF　THE　UNSEEN







Were　one　asked　to　characterize　the　life　of　religion　in　the



broadest　and　most　general　terms　possible；　one　might　say　that　it



consists　of　the　belief　that　there　is　an　unseen　order；　and　that



our　supreme　good　lies　in　harmoniously　adjusting　ourselves



thereto。　　This　belief　and　this　adjustment　are　the　religious



attitude　in　the　soul。　　I　wish　during　this　hour　to　call　your



attention　to　some　of　the　psychological　peculiarities　of　such　an



attitude　as　this；　or　belief　in　an　object　which　we　cannot　see。　



All　our　attitudes；　moral；　practical；　or　emotional；　as　well　as



religious；　are　due　to　the　〃objects〃　of　our　consciousness；　the



things　which　we　believe　to　exist；　whether　really　or　ideally；



along　with　ourselves。　　Such　objects　may　be　present　to　our　senses；



or　they　may　be　present　only　to　our　thought。　　In　either　case　they



elicit　from　us　a　REACTION；　and　the　reaction　due　to　things　of



thought　is　notoriously　in　many　cases　as　strong　as　that　due　to



sensible　presences。　　It　may　be　even　stronger。　　The　memory　of　an



insult　may　make　us　angrier　than　the　insult　did　when　we　received



it。　　We　are　frequently　more　ashamed　of　our　blunders　afterwards



than　we　were　at　the　moment　of　making　them；　and　in　general　our



whole　higher　prudential　and　moral　life　is　based　on　the　fact　that



material　sensations　actually　present　may　have　a　weaker　influence



on　our　action　than　ideas　of　remoter　facts。







The　more　concrete　objects　of　most　men's　religion；　the　deities



whom　they　worship；　are　known　to　them　only　in　idea。　　It　has　been



vouchsafed；　for　example；　to　very　few　Christian　believers　to　have



had　a　sensible　vision　of　their　Saviour；　though　enough　appearances



of　this　sort　are　on　record；　by　way　of　miraculous　exception；　to



merit　our　attention　later。　　The　whole　force　of　the　Christian



religion；　therefore；　so　far　as　belief　in　the　divine　personages



determines　the　prevalent　attitude　of　the　believer；　is　in　general



exerted　by　the　instrumentality　of　pure　ideas；　of　which　nothing　in



the　individual's　past　experience　directly　serves　as　a　model。







But　in　addition　to　these　ideas　of　the　more　concrete　religious



objects；　religion　is　full　of　abstract　objects　which　prove　to　have



an　equal　power。　　God's　attributes　as　such；　his　holiness；　his



justice；　his　mercy；　his　absoluteness；　his　infinity；　his



omniscience；　his　tri…unity；　the　various　mysteries　of　the



redemptive　process；　the　operation　of　the　sacraments；　etc。；　have



proved　fertile　wells　of　inspiring　meditation　for　Christian



believers。＇21＇　We　shall　see　later　that　the　absence　of　definite



sensible　images　is　positively　insisted　on　by　the　mystical



authorities　in　all　religions　as　the　sine　qua　non　of　a　successful



orison；　or　contemplation　of　the　higher　divine　truths。　Such



contemplations　are　expected　（and　abundantly　verify　the



expectation；　as　we　shall　also　see）　to　influence　the　believer's



subsequent　attitude　very　powerfully　for　good。







＇21＇　Example：　　〃I　have　had　much　comfort　lately　in　meditating　on



the　passages　which　show　the　personality　of　the　Holy　Ghost；　and



his　distinctness　from　the　Father　and　the　Son。　　It　is　a　subject



that　requires　searching　into　to　find　out；　but；　when　realized；



gives　one　so　much　more　true　and　lively　a　sense　of　the　fullness　of



the　Godhead；　and　its　work　in　us　and　to　us；　than　when　only



thinking　of　the　Spirit　in　its　effect　on　us。〃　　Augustus　Hare：　



Memorials；　i。　244；　Maria　Hare　to　Lucy　H。　Hare。















Immanuel　Kant　held　a　curious　doctrine　about　such　objects　of



belief　as　God；　the　design　of　creation；　the　soul；　its　freedom；　and



the　life　hereafter。　　These　things；　he　said；　are　properly　not



objects　of　knowledge　at　all。　　Our　conceptions　always　require　a



sense…content　to　work　with；　and　as　the　words　soul；〃　　〃God；〃



〃immortality；〃　cover　no　distinctive　sense…content　whatever；　it



follows　that　theoretically　speaking　they　are　words　devoid　of　any



significance。　　Yet　strangely　enough　they　have　a　definite　meaning



FOR　OUR　PRACTICE。　　We　can　act　AS　IF　there　were　a　God；　feel　AS　IF



we　were　free；　consider　Nature　AS　IF　she　were　full　of　special



designs；　lay　plans　AS　IF　we　were　to　be　immortal；　and　we　find　then



that　these　words　do　make　a　genuine　difference　in　our　moral　life。　



Our　faith　THAT　these　unintelligible　objects　actually　exist　proves



thus　to　be　a　full　equivalent　in　praktischer　Hinsicht；　as　Kant



calls　it；　or　from　the　point　of　view　of　our　action；　for　a



knowledge　of　WHAT　they　might　be；　in　case　we　were　permitted



positively　to　conceive　them。　　So　we　have　the　strange　phenomenon；



as　Kant　assures　us；　of　a　mind　believing　with　all　its　strength　in



the　real　presence　of　a　set　of　things　of　no　one　of　which　it　can



form　any　notion　whatsoever。







My　object　in　thus　recalling　Kant's　doctrine　to　your　mind　is　not



to　express　any　opinion　as　to　the　accuracy　of　this　particularly



uncouth　part　of　his　philosophy；　but　only　to　illustrate　the



characteristic　of　human　nature　which　we　are　considering；　by　an



example　so　classical　in　its　exaggeration。　　The　sentiment　of



reality　can　indeed　attach　itself　so　strongly　to　our　object　of



belief　that　our　whole　life　is　polarized　through　and　through；　so



to　speak；　by　its　sense　of　the　existence　of　the　thing　believed　in；



and　yet　that　thing；　for　purpose　of　definite　description；　can



hardly　be　said　to　be　present　to　our　mind　at　all。　　It　is　as　if　a



bar　of　iron；　without　touch　or　sight；　with　no　representative



faculty　whatever；　might　nevertheless　be　strongly　endowed　with　an



inner　capacity　for　magnetic　feeling；　and　as　if；　through　the



various　arousals　of　its　magnetism　by　magnets　coming　and　going　in



its　neighborhood；　it　might　be　consciously　determined　to　different



attitudes　and　tendencies。　Such　a　bar　of　iron　could　never　give　you



an　outward　description　of　the　agencies　that　had　the　power　of



stirring　it　so　strongly；　yet　of　their　presence；　and　of　their



significance　for　its　life；　it　would　be　intensely　aware　through



every　fibre　of　its　being。







It　is　not　only　the　Ideas　of　pure　Reason　as　Kant　styled　them；　that



have　this　power　of　making　us　vitally　feel　presences　that　we　are



impotent　articulately　to　describe。　　All　sorts　of　higher



abstractions　bring　with　them　the　same　kind　of　impalpable　appeal。　



Remember　those　passages　from　Emerson　which　I　read　at　my　last



lecture。　　The　whole　universe　of　concrete　objects；　as　we　know



them；　swims；　not　only　for　such　a　transcendentalist　writer；　but



for　all　of　us；　in　a　wider　and　higher　universe　of　abstract　ideas；



that　lend　it　its　significance。　　As　time；　space；　and　the　ether



soak　through　all　things　so　（we　feel）　do　abstract　and　essential



goodness；　beauty；　strength；　significance；　justice；　soak　through



all　things　good；　strong；　significant；　and　just。







Such　ideas；　and　others　equally　abstract；　form　the　background　for



all　our　facts；　the　fountain…head　of　all　the　possibilities　we



conceive　of。　　They　give　its　〃nature；〃　as　we　call　it；　to　every



special　thing。　　Everything　we　know　is　〃what〃　it　is　by　sharing　in



the　nature　of　one　of　these　abstractions。　　We　can　never　look



directly　at　them；　for　they　are　bodiless　and　featureless　and



footless；　but　we　grasp　all　other　things　by　their　means；　and　in



handling　the　real　world　we　should　be　stricken　with　helplessness



in　just　so　far　forth　as　we　might　lose　these　mental　objects；　these



adjectives　and　adverbs　and　predicates　and　heads　of　classification



and　conception。







This　absolute　determinability　of　our　mind　by　abstractions　is　one



of　the　cardinal　facts　in　our　human　constitution。　Polarizing　and



magnetizing　us　as　they　do；　we　turn　towards　them　and　from　them；　we



seek　them；　hold　them；　hate　them；　bless　them；　just　as　if　they　were



so　many　concrete　beings。　And　beings　they　are；　beings　as　real　in



the　realm　which　they　inhabit　as　the　changing　things　of　sense　are



in　the　realm　of　space。







Plato　gave　so　brilliant　and　impressive　a　defense　of　this　common



human　feeling；　that　the　doctrine　of　the　reality　of　abstract



objects　has　been　known　as　the　platonic　theory　of　ideas　ever



since。　　Abstract　Beauty；　for　example；　is　for　Plato　a　perfectly



definite　individual　being；　of　which　the　intellect　is　aware　as　of



something　additional　to　all　the　perishing　beauties　of　the　earth。　



〃The　true　order　of　going；〃　he　says；　in　the　often　quoted　passage



in　his　〃Banquet；〃　〃is　to　use　the　beauties　of　earth　as　steps　along



which　one　mounts　upwards　for　the　sake　of　that　other　Beauty；　going



from　one　to　two；　and　from　two　to　all　fair　forms；　and　from　fair



forms　to　fa