Totakeabriefillustration:wehavealludedtothefactthatinthehistoryofourpresentworldthedevelopmentofmentalphenomenahasgoneonhandinhandwiththedevelopmentoforganiclife，whileatthesametimewehavefounditimpossibletoexplainmentalphenomenaasinanysensetheproductofmaterialphenomena。Nowthereisanothersidetoallthis。ThegreatlessonwhichBerkeleytaughtmankindwasthatwhatwecallmaterialphenomenaarereallytheproductsofconsciousnessco-operatingwithsomeUnknownPowernotmaterialexistingbeyondconsciousness。Wedoverywelltospeakof“matter“incommonparlance，butallthatthewordreallymeansisagroupofqualitieswhichhavenoexistenceapartfromourminds。Modernphilosophershavequitegenerallyacceptedthisconclusion，andeveryattempttooverturnBerkeley’sreasoninghashithertoresultedincompleteanddisastrousfailure。Inadmittingthis，wedonotadmittheconclusionofAbsoluteIdealism，thatnothingexistsoutsideofconsciousness。WhatweadmitasexistingindependentlyofourownconsciousnessisthePowerthatcausesinusthoseconsciousstateswhichwecalltheperceptionofmaterialqualities。WehavenoreasonforregardingthisPowerasinitselfmaterial:indeed，wecannotdoso，sincebythetheorymaterialqualitieshavenoexistenceapartfromourminds。IhaveelsewheresoughttoshowthatlessdifficultyisinvolvedinregardingthisPoweroutsideofusasquasi-psychical，orinsomemeasuresimilartothementalpartofourselves；andIhavegoneontoconcludethatthisPowermaybeidenticalwithwhatmenhave，inalltimesandbytheaidofvariousimperfectsymbols，endeavouredtoapprehendasDeity。[12]WearethusledtoaviewofthingsnotveryunliketheviewsentertainedbySpinozaandBerkeley。WeareledtotheinferencethatwhatwecallthematerialuniverseisbutthemanifestationofinfiniteDeitytoourfiniteminds。Obviously，onthisview，Matter——theonlythingtowhichmaterialistsconcederealexistence——issimplyanorderlyphantasmagoria；andGodandtheSoul——whichmaterialistsregardasmerefictionsoftheimagination——aretheonlyconceptionsthatanswertorealexistences。
SeemyOutlinesofCosmicPhilosophy，PartI。
IntheforegoingparagraphIhavebeensettingdownopinionswithwhichIampreparedtoagree，andwhicharenotinconflictwithanythingthatourstudyofthedevelopmentoftheobjectiveworldhastaughtus。Insofarasthatstudymaybesupposedtobearonthequestionofafuturelife，twoconclusionsareopentous。
Firstwemaysaythatsincethephenomenaofmindappearandruntheircoursealongwithcertainspecializedgroupsofmaterialphenomena，so，too，theymustdisappearwhenthesespecializedgroupsarebrokenup。Or，inotherwords，wemaysaythateverylivingpersonisanorganizedwhole；consciousnessissomethingwhichpertainstothisorganizedwhole，asmusicbelongstotheharpthatisentire；butwhentheharpisbrokenitissilent，andwhentheorganizedwholeofpersonalityfallstopiecesconsciousnessceasesforever。Tomanywell-disciplinedmindsthisconclusionseemsirresistible；anddoubtlessitwouldbeasoundone——agoodBaconianconclusion——ifweweretoadmit，withthematerialists，thatthepossibilitiesofexistencearelimitedbyourtinyandephemeralexperience。
Butnow，supposingsomePlatonicspeculatorweretocomealongandinsistuponourleavingroomforanalternativeconclusion；