the unseen world and other essays-第9节

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　the　brain；　and　materialists　have　found　great　comfort　in　this　fact；　while　theologians　and　persons　of　little　faith　have　been　very　much　frightened　by　it。　But　since　no　one　ever　pretended　that　thought　can　go　on；　under　the　conditions　of　the　present　life；　without　a　brain；　one　finds　it　rather　hard　to　sympathize　either　with　the　self…congratulations　of　Dr。　Buchner's　disciples＇8＇　or　with　the　terrors　of　their　opponents。　But　what　has　been　less　commonly　remarked　is　the　fact　that　when　the　thought　and　the　molecular　movement　thus　occur　simultaneously；　in　no　scientific　sense　is　the　thought　the　product　of　the　molecular　movement。　The　sun…derived　energy　of　motion　latent　in　the　food　we　eat　is　variously　transformed　within　the　organism；　until　some　of　it　appears　as　the　motion　of　the　molecules　of　a　little　globule　of　nerve…matter　in　the　brain。　In　a　rough　way　we　might　thus　say　that　the　chemical　energy　of　the　food　indirectly　produces　the　motion　of　these　little　nerve…molecules。　But　does　this　motion　of　nerve…molecules　now　produce　a　thought　or　state　of　consciousness？　By　no　means。　It　simply　produces　some　other　motion　of　nerve…molecules；　and　this　in　turn　produces　motion　of　contraction　or　expansion　in　some　muscle；　or　becomes　transformed　into　the　chemical　energy　of　some　secreting　gland。　At　no　point　in　the　whole　circuit　does　a　unit　of　motion　disappear　as　motion　to　reappear　as　a　unit　of　consciousness。　The　physical　process　is　complete　in　itself；　and　the　thought　does　not　enter　into　it。　All　that　we　can　say　is；　that　the　occurrence　of　the　thought　is　simultaneous　with　that　part　of　the　physical　process　which　consists　of　a　molecular　movement　in　the　brain。＇9＇　To　be　sure；　the　thought　is　always　there　when　summoned；　but　it　stands　outside　the　dynamic　circuit；　as　something　utterly　alien　from　and　incomparable　with　the　events　which　summon　it。　No　doubt；　as　Professor　Tyndall　observes；　if　we　knew　exhaustively　the　physical　state　of　the　brain；　〃the　corresponding　thought　or　feeling　might　be　inferred；　or；　given　the　thought　or　feeling；　the　corresponding　state　of　the　brain　might　be　inferred。　But　how　inferred？　It　would　be　at　bottom　not　a　case　of　logical　inference　at　all；　but　of　empirical　association。　You　may　reply　that　many　of　the　inferences　of　science　are　of　this　character；　the　inference；　for　example；　that　an　electric　current　of　a　given　direction　will　deflect　a　magnetic　needle　in　a　definite　way；　but　the　cases　differ　in　this；　that　the　passage　from　the　current　to　the　needle；　if　not　demonstrable；　is　thinkable；　and　that　we　entertain　no　doubt　as　to　the　final　mechanical　solution　of　the　problem。　But　the　passage　from　the　physics　of　the　brain　to　the　corresponding　facts　of　consciousness　is　unthinkable。　Granted　that　a　definite　thought　and　a　definite　molecular　action　in　the　brain　occur　simultaneously；　we　do　not　possess　the　intellectual　organ；　nor　apparently　any　rudiment　of　the　organ；　which　would　enable　us　to　pass　by　a　process　of　reasoning　from　the　one　to　the　other。　They　appear　together；　but　we　do　not　know　why。〃＇10＇

＇8＇　The　Nation　once　wittily　described　these　people　as　〃people　who　believe　that　they　are　going　to　die　like　the　beasts；　and　who　congratulate　themselves　that　they　are　going　to　die　like　the　beasts。〃

＇9＇　For　a　fuller　exposition　of　this　point；　see　my　Outlines　of　Cosmic　Philosophy；　Vol。　II。　pp。　436…445。

＇10＇　Fragments　of　Science；　p。　119。


An　unseen　world　consisting　of　purely　psychical　or　spiritual　phenomena　would　accordingly　be　demarcated　by　an　absolute　gulf　from　what　we　call　the　material　universe；　but　would　not　necessarily　be　discontinuous　with　the　psychical　phenomena　which　we　find　manifested　in　connection　with　the　world　of　matter。　The　transfer　of　matter；　or　physical　energy；　or　anything　else　that　is　quantitatively　measurable；　into　such　an　unseen　world；　may　be　set　down　as　impossible；　by　reason　of　the　very　definition　of　such　a　world。　Any　hypothesis　which　should　assume　such　a　transfer　would　involve　a　contradiction　in　terms。　But　the　hypothesis　of　a　survival　of　present　psychical　phenomena　in　such　a　world；　after　being　denuded　of　material　conditions；　is　not　in　itself　absurd　or　self…contradictory；　though　it　may　be　impossible　to　support　it　by　any　arguments　drawn　from　the　domain　of　human　experience。　Such　is　the　shape　which　it　seems　to　me　that；　in　the　present　state　of　philosophy；　the　hypothesis　of　a　future　life　must　assume。　We　have　nothing　to　say　to　gross　materialistic　notions　of　ghosts　and　bogies；　and　spirits　that　upset　tables　and　whisper　to　ignorant　vulgar　women　the　wonderful　information　that　you　once　had　an　aunt　Susan。　The　unseen　world　imagined　in　our　hypothesis　is　not　connected　with　the　present　material　universe　by　any　such　〃invisible　bonds〃　as　would　allow　Bacon　and　Addison　to　come　to　Boston　and　write　the　silliest　twaddle　in　the　most　ungrammatical　English　before　a　roomful　of　people　who　have　never　learned　how　to　test　what　they　are　pleased　to　call　the　〃evidence　of　their　senses。〃　Our　hypothesis　is　expressly　framed　so　as　to　exclude　all　intercourse　whatever　between　the　unseen　world　of　spirit　unconditioned　by　matter　and　the　present　world　of　spirit　conditioned　by　matter　in　which　all　our　experiences　have　been　gathered。　The　hypothesis　being　framed　in　such　a　way；　the　question　is；　What　has　philosophy　to　say　to　it？　Can　we；　by　searching　our　experiences；　find　any　reason　for　adopting　such　an　hypothesis？　Or；　on　the　other　hand；　supposing　we　can　find　no　such　reason；　would　the　total　failure　of　experimental　evidence　justify　us　in　rejecting　it？

The　question　is　so　important　that　I　will　restate　it。　I　have　imagined　a　world　made　up　of　psychical　phenomena；　freed　from　the　material　conditions　under　which　alone　we　know　such　phenomena。　Can　we　adduce　any　proof　of　the　possibility　of　such　a　world？　Or　if　we　cannot；　does　our　failure　raise　the　slightest　presumption　that　such　a　world　is　impossible？

The　reply　to　the　first　clause　of　the　question　is　sufficiently　obvious。　We　have　no　experience　whatever　of　psychical　phenomena　save　as　manifested　in　connection　with　material　phenomena。　We　know　of　Mind　only　as　a　group　of　activities　which　are　never　exhibited　to　us　except　through　the　medium　of　motions　of　matter。　In　all　our　experience　we　have　never　encountered　such　activities　save　in　connection　with　certain　very　complicated　groupings　of　highly　mobile　material　particles　into　aggregates　which　we　call　living　organisms。　And　we　have　never　found　them　manifested　to　a　very　conspicuous　extent　save　in　connection　with　some　of　those　specially　organized　aggregates　which　have　vertebrate　skeletons　and　mammary　glands。　Nay；　more；　when　we　survey　the　net　results　of　our　experience　up　to　the　present　time；　we　find　indisputable　evidence　that　in　the　past　history　of　the　visible　universe　psychical　phenomena　have　only　begun　to　be　manifested　in　connection　with　certain　complex　aggregates　of　material　phenomena。　As　these　material　aggregates　have　age　by　age　become　more　complex　in　structure；　more　complex　psychical　phenomena　have　been　exhibited。　The　development　of　Mind　has　from　the　outset　been　associated　with　the　development　of　Matter。　And　to…day；　though　none　of　us　has　any　knowledge　of　the　end　of　psychical　phenomena　in　his　own　case；　yet　from　all　the　marks　by　which　we　recognize　such　phenomena　in　our　fellow…creatures；　whether　brute　or　human；　we　are　taught　that　when　certain　material　processes　have　been　gradually　or　suddenly　brought　to　an　end；　psychical　phenomena　are　no　longer　manifested。　From　first　to　last；　therefore；　our　appeal　to　experience　gets　but　one　response。　We　have　not　the　faintest　shadow　of　evidence　wherewith　to　make　it　seem　probable　that　Mind　can　exist　except　in　connection　with　a　material　body。　Viewed　from　this　standpoint　of　terrestrial　experience；　there　is　no　more　reason　for　supposing　that　consciousness　survives　the　dissolution　of　the　brain　than　for　supposing　that　the　pungent　flavour　of　table…salt　survives　its　decomposition　into　metallic　sodium　and　gaseous　chlorine。

Our　answer　from　this　side　is　thus　unequivocal　enough。　Indeed；　so　uniform　has　been　the　teaching　of　experience　in　this　respect　that　even　in　their　attempts　to　depict　a　life　after　death；　men　have　always　found　themselves　obliged　to　have　recourse　to　materialistic　symbols。　To　the　mind　of　a　savage　the　future　world　is　a　mere　reproduction　of　the　present；　with　its　everlasting　huntings　and　fightings。　The　early　Christians　looked　forward　to　a　renovation　of　the　earth　and　the　bodily　resurrection　from　Sheol　of　the　righteous。　The　pictures　of　hell　and　purgatory；　and　even　of　paradise；　in　Dante's　great　poem；　are　so　intensely　materialistic　as　to　seem　grotesque　in　this　more　spiritual　age。　But　even　to…day　the　popular　conceptions　of　heaven　are　by　no　means　freed　from　the　notion　of　matter；　and　persons　of　high　culture；　who　realize　the　inadequacy　of　these　popular　conceptions；　are　wont　to　avoid　the　difficulty　by　refraining　from　putting　their　hopes　and　beliefs　into　any　definite　or　describable　form。　Not　unfrequently　one　sees　a　smile　raised　at　the　assumption　of　knowledge　or　insight　by　preachers　who　describe　in　eloquent　terms　the　joys　of　a　future　state；　yet　the　smile　does　not　necessarily　imply　any　scepticism　as　to　the　abstract　probability　of　the　soul's　survival。　The　scepticism　is　aimed　at　the　character　of　the　description　rather　than　at　the　reality　of　the　thing　described。　It　implies　a　tacit　agreement；　among　cultivated　people；　that　the　un