***How，indeed，itcouldeverbedoubtedthatthoughtisonlyoftheconditioned，
maywellbedeemedamatteroftheprofoundestadmiration。Thoughtcannot
transcendconsciousness;consciousnessisonlypossibleundertheantithesis
ofasubjectandobjectofthought，knownonlyincorrelation，andmutually
limitingeachother;while，independentlyofthis，allthatweknoweither
ofsubjectorobject，eitherofmindormatter，isonlyaknowledgeineach
oftheparticular，oftheplural，ofthedifferent，ofthemodified，ofthe
phaenomenal。Weadmitthattheconsequenceofthisdoctrineis，——thatphilosophy，
ifviewedasmorethanascienceoftheconditioned，isimpossible。Departing
fromtheparticular，weadmit，thatwecannever，inourhighestgeneralizations，
riseabovethefinite;thatourknowledge，whetherofmindormatter，can
benothingmorethanaknowledgeoftherelativemanifestationsofanexistence，
whichinitselfitisourhighestwisdomtorecognizeaSbeyondthereachofphilosophy。***\"Wearethustaughtthesalutarylesson，thatthecapacityofthought
isnottobeconstitutedintothemeasureofexistence;andarewarnedfrom
recognizingthedomainofourknowledgeasnecessarilyco—extensivewith
thehorizonofourfaith。Andbyawonderfulrevelation，wearethus，in
theveryconsciousnessofourinabilitytoconceiveaughtabovetherelative
andfinite，inspiredwithabeliefintheexistenceofsomethingunconditionedbeyondthesphereofallcomprehensiblereality。\"Clearandconclusiveasthisstatementofthecaseappearswhencarefully
studied，itisexpressedinsoabstractamannerastobenotveryintelligible
tothegeneralreader。Amorepopularpresentationofit。withillustrative
applications，asgivenbyMr。ManselinhisLimitsofReligiousThought，
willmakeitmorefullyunderstood。Thefollowingextracts，whichItakethelibertyofmakingfromhispages，willsuffice。\"Theveryconceptionofconsciousnessinwhatevermodeitmaybe
manifested，necessarilyimpliesdistinctionbetweenoneobjectandanother。
Tobeconscious，wemustbeconsciousofsomething;andthatsomethingcan
onlybeknown，asthatwhichitis，bybeingdistinguishedfromthatwhich
itisnot。Butdistinctionisnecessarilyimitation;for，ifoneobjectis
tobedistinguishedfromanother，itmustpossesssomeformofexistence
whichtheotherhasnot，oritmustnotpossesssomeformwhichtheother
has。***Ifallthoughtislimitation;——ifwhateverweconceiveis，by
theveryactofconception，regardedasfinite，——theinfinite，fromahuman
pointofview，ismerelyanamefortheabsenceofthoseconditionsunder
whichthoughtispossible。TospeakofaConceptionoftheInfiniteis，therefore，
atoncetoaffirmthoseconditionsandtodenythem。Thecontradiction，which
wediscoverinsuchaconception，isonlythatwhichwehaveourselvesplaced
there，bytacitlyassumingtheconceivabilityoftheinconceivable。Thecondition
ofconsciousnessisdistinction;andconditionofdistinctionislimitation。
WecanhavenoconsciousnessofBeingingeneralwhichisnotsomeBeing
inparticular:athing，inconsciousness，isonethingoutofmany。Inassuming
thepossibilityofaninfiniteobjectofconsciousness，Iassume，therefore，
thatitisatthesametimelimitedandunlimited;——actuallysomething，
withoutwhichitcouldnotbeanobjectofconsciousness，andactuallynothing，withoutwhichitcouldnotbeinfinite。***\"AsecondcharacteristicofConsciousnessis，thatitisonlypossible
intheformofarelation。TheremustbeaSubject，orpersonconscious，
andanObject，orthingofwhichheisconscious。Therecanbenoconsciousness
withouttheunionofthesetwofactors;and，inthatunion，eachexistsonly
asitisrelatedtotheother。Thesubjectisasubject，onlyinsofaras
itisconsciousofanobject;theobjectisanobject，onlyinsofaras
itisapprehendedbyasubject:andthedestructionofeitheristhedestruction
ofconsciousnessitself。Itisthusmanifestthataconsciousnessofthe
Absoluteisequallyself—contradictorywiththatoftheInfinite。Tobeconscious
oftheAbsoluteassuch，wemustknowthatanobject，whichisgiveninrelation
toourconsciousness，isidenticalwithonewhichexistsinitsownnature，
outofallrelationtoconsciousness。Buttoknowthisidentity，wemust
beabletocomparethetwotogether;andsuchacomparisonisitselfacontradiction。
Weareinfactrequiredtocomparethatofwhichweareconsciouswiththat
ofwhichwearenotconscious;thecomparisonitselfbeinganactofconsciousness，
andonlypossiblethroughtheconsciousnessofbothitsobjects。Itisthus
manifestthat，evenifwecouldbeconsciousoftheabsolutewecouldnot
possiblyknowthatitistheabsolute:and，aswecanbeconsciousofan
objectassuch，onlybyknowingittobewhatitis，thisisequivalentto
anadmissionthatwecannotbeconsciousoftheabsoluteatall。Asanobject
ofCOnsciousness，everythingisnecessarilyrelative;andwhatathingmaybeoutofconsciousnessnomodeofconsciousnesscantellus。***\"Thiscontradiction，again，admitsofthesameexplanationasthe
former，***Existence，asweconceiveit，isbutanamefortheseveral
waysinwhichobjectsarepresentedtoourconsciousness，——ageneralterm，
embracingavarietyofrelations。TheAbsolute，ontheotherhand，isaterm
expressingnoobjectofthought，butonlyadenialoftherelationbywhichthoughtisconstituted。\"Hereletmepointouthowthesamegeneralinferencemaybeevolvedfrom
anotherfundamentalconditiontothought，omittedbySirW。Hamiltonand
notsuppliedbyMr。Mansel;——aconditionwhich，underitsobverseaspect，
wehavealreadycontemplatedinthelastsection。Everycompleteactofconsciousness，
besidesdistinctionandrelation，alsoimplieslikeness。Beforeitcanconstitute
apieceofknowledge，orevenbecomeanidea，amentalstatemustbeknown
notonlyasseparateinkindorqualityfromcertainforegoingstatesto
whichitisknownasrelatedbysuccession，butitmustfurtherbeknown
asofthesamekindorqualitywithcertainotherforegoingstates。That
organizationofchangeswhichconstitutesthinking，involvescontinuousintegration
aswellascontinuousdifferentiation。Wereeachnewaffectionofthemind
perceivedsimplyasanaffectioninsomewaycontestedwithprecedingones
——weretherebutachainofimpressions，eachofwhichasitarosewasmerely
distinguishedfromitspredecessors;consciousnesswouldbeachaos。Toproduce
thatorderlyconsciousnesswhichwecallintelligence，thererequiresthe
assimilationofeachimpressiontoothersthatoccurredearlierintheseries。
Boththesuccessivementalstates，andthesuccessiverelationswhichthey
beartooneanother，mustbeclassified;andclassificationinvolvesnot
onlyapartingoftheunlike，butalsoabindingtogetherofthelike。In
brief，atruecognitionispossibleonlythroughanaccompanyingrecognition。
Shoulditbeobjectedthatifsotherecannotbeafirstcognition，andhence
therecanbenocognition，thereplyisthatcognitionproperarisesgradually
——thatduringthefirststageofincipientintelligence，beforethefeelings
producedbyintercoursewiththeouterworldhavebeenputintoorder，there
arenocognitions;andthat，aseveryinfantshowsus，theseslowlyemerge
outoftheconfusionofunfoldingconsciousnessasfastastheexperiences
arearrangedintogroups——asfastasthemostfrequentlyrepeatedsensations，
andtheirrelationstooneanother，becomefamiliarenoughtoadmitoftheir
recognitionassuchorsuch，whenevertheyrecur。Shoulditbefurtherobjected
thatifcognitionpresupposesrecognition，therecanbenocognition，even
byanadult，ofanobjectneverbeforeseen;thereisstillthesufficient
answerthatinsofarasitisnotassimilatedtopreviously—seenobjects
itisnotknown，andthatitisknownonlyinsofarasitisassimilated
tothem。Ofthisparadoxtheinterpretationis，thatanobjectisclassifiable
invariouswayswithvariousdegressofcompleteness。Ananimalhitherto
unknown（marktheword），thoughnotreferabletoanyestablishedspecies
orgenus，isyetrecognizedasbelongingtooneofthelargerdivisions—mammals，
birds，reptiles，orfishes;orshoulditbesoanomalousthatitsalliance
withanyoftheseisnotdeterminable，itmayyetbeclassedasvertebrate
orinvertebrate;orifitbeoneofthoseorganismsinwhichitisdoubtful
whethertheanimalorvegetaltraitspredominate，itisstillknownasa
livingbody。Evenshoulditbequestionedwhetheritisorganic，itremains
beyondquestionthatitisamaterialobject，anditiscognizedbybeing
recognizedassuch。Whenceitisclearthatathingisperfectlyknownonly
whenitisinallrespectslikecertainthingspreviouslyobserved。that
inproportiontothenumberofrespectsinwhichitisunlikethem，isthe
extenttowhichitisunknown;andthathencewhenithasabsolutelynoattributeincommonwithanythingelse，itmustbeabsolutelybeyondtheboundofknowledge。Observethecorollarywhichhereconcernsus。AcognitionoftheReal，
asdistinguishedfromthePhenomenal，must，ifitexists，conformtothis
lawofcognitioningeneral。TheFirstCause，theInfinite，theAbsolute，
tobeknownatall，mustbeclassed。Tobepositivelythoughtof，itmust
bethoughtofassuchorsuch——asofthisorthatkind。Canitbelike
inkindtoanythingofwhichwehaveexperience？Obviouslynot。Betweenthe
creatingandthecreated，theremustbeadistinctiontranscendinganyof
thedistinctionsbetweendifferentdivisionsofthecreated。Thatwhichis
UnCauSedcannotbeassimilatedtothatwhichiscaused:thetwobeing，in
theverynaming，antitheticallyopposed。TheInfinitecannotbegroupedalong
withsomethingfinite;since，inbeingsogrouped，itmustberegardedas
notinfinite。ItisimpossibletoputtheAbsoluteinthesamecategorywith
anythingrelative，solongastheAbsoluteisdefinedasthatofwhichno
necessaryrelationcanbepredicated。IsitthenthattheActual，though
unthinkablebyclassificationwiththeApparent，isthinkablebyclassification
withitself？Thissuppositionisequallyabsurdwiththeother。Itimplies
thepluralityoftheFirstCause，theInfinite，theAbsolute;andthisimplication
isself—contradictory。TherecannotbemorethanoneFirstCause;seeing
thattheexistenceofmorethanonewouldinvolvetheexistenceofsomething
necessitatingmorethanone，whichsomethingwouldbethetrueFirstCause。
Howself—destructiveistheassumptionoftwoormoreInfinites，ismanifest
onrememberingthatsuchInfinites，bylimitingeachother，wouldbecome
finite。Andsimilarly，anAbsolutewhichexistednotalonebutalongwith
otherAbsolutes，wouldnolongerbeanabsolutebutarelative。TheUnconditioned
therefore，asclassableneitherwithanyformoftheconditionednorwith
anyotherUnconditioned，cannotbeclassedatall。Andtoadmitthatitcannotbeknownasofsuchorsuchkind，istoadmitthatitisunknowable。Thus，fromtheverynatureofthought，therelativityofourknowledge
isinferableinthreeways。Aswefindbyanalyzingit，andasweseeit
objectivelydisplayedineveryproposition，athoughtinvolvesrelation，
difference，likeness。Whateverdoesnotpresenteachofthesedoesnotadmit
ofcognition。AndhencewemaysaythattheUnconditioned，aspresentingnoneofthem，istreblyunthinkable。§25。Fromyetanotherpointofviewwemaydiscernthesamegreat
truth。If，insteadofexaminingourintellectualpowersdirectlyasdisplayed
intheactofthought，orindirectlyasdisplayedinthoughtwhenexpressed
bywords，welookattheconnexionbetweenthemindandtheworld，alike
conclusionisforcedonus。TheverydefinitionofLife，phenomenallyconsidered，whenreducedtoitsmostabstractshape，disclosesthisultimateimplication。Allvitalactions，considerednotseparatelybutintheirensemble，have
fortheirfinalpurposethebalancingofcertainouterprocessesbycertain
innerprocesses。Thereareexternalforceshavingatendencytobringthe
matterofwhichlivingbodiesconsist，intothatstableequilibriumshown
byinorganicbodies;thereareinternalforcesbywhichthistendencyis
constantlyantagonized;andtheunceasingchangeswhichconstituteLife，
mayberegardedasincidentaltothemaintenanceoftheantagonism。Forinstance，
topreservetheerectposturecertainweightshavetobeneutralizedbycertain
strains:eachlimborotherorgan，gravitatingtotheEarthandpullingdown
thepartstowhichitisattached，hastobepreservedinpositionbythe
tensionofsundrymuscles;or，inotherwords，theforceswhichwouldif
allowedbringthebodytotheground，havetobecounterbalancedbyother
forces。Again，tokeepupthetemperatureataparticularpoint，theexternal
processofradiationandabsorptionofheatbythesurroundingmedium，must
bemetbyacorrespondinginternalprocessofchemicalcombination，whereby
moreheatmaybeevolved;towhichaddthatiffromatmosphericchangesthe
lossbecomesgreaterorless，theproductionmustbecomegreaterorless。Similarlythroughouttheorganicactionsatlarge。Inthelowerkindsoflifetheadjustmentsthusmaintainedaredirect
andsimple;asinaplant，thevitalityofwhichmainlyconsistsinosmotic
andchemicalactionsrespondingtotheco—existenceoflight，heat，water，
andcarbon—dioxidearoundit。Butinanimals，andespeciallyinthehigher
ordersofthem，theadjustmentsbecomeextremelycomplex。Materialsforgrowth
andrepairnotbeing，likethosewhichplantsrequire，everywherepresent，
butbeingwidelydispersedandunderspecialforms，havetobefound，to
besecured，andtobereducedtoafitstateforassimilation。Hencethe
needforlocomotion;hencetheneedforthesenses;hencetheneedforprehensile
anddestructiveappliances;hencetheneedforanelaboratedigestiveapparatus。
Observe，however，thatthesecomplicationsarenothingbutaidstothemaintenance
oftheorganicbalance，inoppositiontothosephysical，chemical，andother
agencieswhichtendtooverturnit。Andobserve，further，thatwhilethese
complicationsaidthisfundamentaladaptationofinnertoouteractions，
theyarethemselvesnothingbutadditionaladaptationsofinnertoouter
actions。Forwhatarethosemovementsbywhichapredatorycreaturepursues
itsprey，orbywhichitspreyseekstoescape，butcertainchangesinthe
organismfittedtomeetcertainchangesinitsenvironment？Whatisthat
operationwhichconstitutestheperceptionofapieceoffood，butaparticular
correlationofnervousmodifications，answeringtoaparticularcorrelation
ofphysicalproperties？Whatisthatprocessbywhichfoodwhenswallowed
ismadefitforassimilation，butasetofmechanicalandchemicalactions
respondingtothemechanicalandchemicalcharactersofthefood？Hence，
whileLifeinitssimplestformisthecorrespondenceofcertaininnerphysico—chemical
actionswithcertainouterphysico—chemicalactions，eachadvancetoahigher
formofLifeconsistsinabetterpreservationofthisprimarycorrespondencebytheestablishmentofothercorrespondences。Sothat，passingoveritsnoumenalnatureofwhichweknownothing，Life
isdefinableasthecontinuousadjustmentofinternalrelationstoexternal
relations。Andwhenwesodefineit，wediscoverthatthephysicalandthe
psychicallifeareequallycomprehendedbythedefinition。Thiswhichwe
callIntelligence，ariseswhentheexternalrelationstowhichtheinternal
onesareadjustedbecomenumerous，complex，andremoteintimeorspace。
EveryadvanceinIntelligenceessentiallyconsistsintheestablishmentof
morevaried，morecomplete，ormoreinvolvedadjustments。Andeventhehighest
generalizationsofscienceconsistofmentalrelationsofco—existenceand
sequence，soco—ordinatedasexactlytotallywithcertainrelationsofco—existence
andsequencethatoccurexternally。Acaterpillar，findingitswayonto
aplanthavingacertainodour，beginstoeat——hasinsideofitanorganic
relationbetweenaparticularimpressionandaparticularsetofactions，
answeringtotherelationoutsideofitbetweenscentandnutriment。The
sparrow，guidedbythemorecomplexcorrelationofimpressionswhichthe
colourform，andmovementsofthecaterpillargaveit，andguidedbyother
correlationswhichmeasurethepositionanddistanceofthecaterpillar，
adjustscertaincorrelatedmuscularmovementssoastoseizethecaterpillar。
throughamuchgreaterdistanceisthehawk，hoveringabove，affectedby
therelationsofshapeandmotionwhichthesparrowpresents;andthemuch
morecomplicatedandprolongedseriesofrelatednervousandmuscularchanges，
gonethroughincorrespondencewiththesparrow\'schangingrelationsofposition，
finallysucceedwhentheyarepreciselyadjustedtothesechangingrelations。
Inthefowler，experiencehasestablishedarelationbetweentheappearance
andflightofahawkandthedestructionofotherbirds，includinggame。
Thereisalsoinhimanestablishedrelationbetweenthosevisualimpressions
answeringtoacertaindistanceinspace，andtherangeofhisgun。Andhe
haslearned，too，whatrelationsofpositionthesightsmustbeartoapoint
somewhatinadvanceoftheflyingbird，beforehecanfirewithsuccess。
Similarlyifwegobacktothemanufactureofthegun。Byrelationsofco—existence
betweencolour，density，andplaceintheearth，aparticularmineralis
knownasonewhichyieldsiron;andtheobtainmentofironfromit，results
whencertaincorrelatedactsofoursareadjustedtocertaincorrelatedaffinities
displayedbyironstone，coal，andlime，atahightemperature。Ifwedescend
yetastepfurther，andaskachemisttoexplaintheexplosionofgunpowder，
orapplytoamathematicianforatheoryofprojectiles，westillfindthat
specialorgeneralrelationsofco—existenceandsequenceamongproperties，
motions，spaces，etc。，arealltheycanteachus。Andlastly，letitbenoted
thatwhatwecalltruthguidingustosuccessfulactionandconsequentmaintenance
oflife，issimplytheaccuratecorrespondenceofsubjectivetoobjective
relations;whileerror，leadingtofailureandthereforetowardsdeath，istheabsenceofsuchaccuratecorrespondence。If，then，Life，asknowablebyus，inclusiveofIntelligenceinitshighest
forms，consistsinthecontinuousadjustmentofinternalrelationstoexternal
relations，therelativecharacterofourknowledgeisnecessarilyimplied。
Thesimplestcognitionbeingtheestablishmentofsomeconnexionbetween
subjectivestates，answeringtosomeconnexionbetweenobjectiveagencies;
andeachsuccessivelymorecomplexcognitionbeingtheestablishmentofsome
moreinvolvedconnexionofsuchstates，answeringtosomemoreinvolvedconnexion
ofsuchagencies;itisclearthattheprocess，nomatterhowfaritbecarried，
canneverbringwithinthereachofIntelligence，eitherthestatesthemselves
ortheagenciesthemselves。Ascertainingwhichthingsoccuralongwithwhich，
andwhatthingsfollowwhat，supposingittobepursuedexhaustivelymust
stillleaveuswithco—existencesandsequencesonly。Ifeveryactofknowing
istheformationofarelationinconsciousnessansweringtoarelationin
theenvironment，thentherelativityofknowledgeisself—evident——becomes
indeedatruism。Thinkingbeingrelationing，nothoughtcaneverexpressmorethanrelations。Andhereletusnotehowthattowhichourintelligenceisconfined，is
thatwithwhichaloneourintelligenceisconcerned。Theknowledgewithin
ourreachistheonlyknowledgethatcanbeofservicetous。Thismaintenance
ofacorrespondencebetweeninternalactionsandexternalactions，merely
requiresthattheagenciesactinguponusshallbeknownintheirco—existences
andsequences，andnotthattheyshallbeknowninthemselves。Ifxandy
aretwouniformlyconnectedpropertiesinsomeouterobject，whileaand
baretheeffectstheyproduceinourconsciousness，thenthesoleneedis
thataandbandtherelationbetweenthem，shallalwaysanswertoxand
yandtherelationbetweenthem。Itmattersnothingtousifaandbare
likexandyornot。Couldtheybeidenticalwiththem，weshouldnotbeonewhitthebetteroff;andtheirtotaldissimilarityisnodisadvantage。DeepdownthenintheverynatureofLife，therelativityofourknowledge
isdiscernible。Theanalysisofvitalactionsingeneral，leadsnotonly
totheconclusionthatthingsinthemselvescannotbeknowntous，butalsototheconclusionthatknowledgeofthem，wereitpossible，wouldbeuseless。§26。Thereremainsthefinalquestion——Whatmustwesayconcerning
thatwhichtranscendsknowledge？Arewetorestwhollyintheconsciousness
ofphenomena？Istheresultofinquirytoexcludeutterlyfromourminds
everythingbuttherelative？ormustwealsobelieveinsomethingbeyondtherelative？Theanswerofpurelogicisheldtobethatbythelimitsofourintelligence
wearerigorouslyconfinedwithintherelative，andthatanythingtranscending
therelativecanbethoughtofasapurenegation，orasanon—existence。
\"Theabsoluteisconceivedmerelybyanegationofconceivability\"
writesSirWilliamHamilton。\"TheAbsoluteandtheInfinite，\"says
Mr。Mansel，\"arethus，liketheInconceivableandtheImperceptible，
namesindicating，notanobjectofthoughtorofconsciousnessatall，but
themereabsenceoftheconditionsunderwhichconsciousnessispossible。\"
Sothatsincereasoncannotwarrantusinaffirmingthepositiveexistence
ofthatwhichiscognizableonlyasanegation，wecannotrationallyaffirmthepositiveexistenceofanythingbeyondphenomena。Unavoidableasthisconclusionseems，itinvolves，Ithink，agraveerror。
Ifthepremissbegrantedtheinferencemustbeadmitted;butthepremiss，
intheformpresentedbySirWilliamHamiltonandMr。Mansel，isnotstrictly
true。Though，intheforegoingpages，theargumentsusedbythesewriters
toshowthattheAbsoluteisunknowable，havebeenapprovinglyquoted;and
thoughtheseargumentshavebeenenforcedbyothersequallythoroughgoing;
yetthereremainstobestatedaqualificationwhichsavesusfromthescepticism
otherwisenecessitated。Itisnottobedeniedthatsolongasweconfine
ourselvestothepurelylogicalaspectofthequestion，thepropositions
quotedabovemustbeacceptedintheirentirety;butwhenwecontemplate
itsmoregeneral，orpsychological，aspect，wefindthatthesepropositions
areimperfectstatementsofthetruth:omitting，orratherexcluding，as
theydo，anall—importantfact。Tospeakspecifically:——Besidesthatdefinite
consciousnessofwhichLogicformulatesthelaws，thereisalsoanindefinite
consciousnesswhichcannotbeformulated。Besidescompletethoughts，and
besidesthethoughtswhichthoughincompleteadmitofcompletion，thereare
thoughtswhichitisimpossibletocomplete;andyetwhicharestillreal，inthesensethattheyarenormalaffectionsoftheintellect。###第7章Observe，inthefirstplace，thateveryoneoftheargumentsbywhich
therelativityofourknowledgeisdemonstrated，distinctlypostulatesthe
positiveexistenceofsomethingbeyondtherelative。Tosaythatwecannot
knowtheAbsolute，is，byimplication，toaffirmthatthereisanAbsolute。
IntheverydenialofourpowertolearnwhattheAbsoluteis，therelies
hiddentheassumptionthatitis;andthemakingofthisassumptionproves
thattheAbsolutehasbeenpresenttothemind，notasanothingbutasa
something。Similarlywitheverystepinthereasoningbywhichthisdoctrine
isupheld。TheNoumenon，everywherenamedastheantithesistothePhenomenon，
isnecessarilythoughtofasanactuality。Itisimpossibletoconceivethat
ourknowledgeisaknowledgeofAppearancesonlywithoutatthesametime
assumingaRealityofwhichtheyareappearances;forappearancewithout
realityisunthinkable。StrikeoutfromtheargumentthetermsUnconditioned，
Infinite，Absolute，andinplaceofthemwrite，\"negationofconceivability，\"
or\"absenceoftheconditionsunderwhichconsciousnessispossible，\"
andtheargumentbecomesnonsense。Torealizeinthoughtanyoneofthepropositions
ofwhichtheargumentconsists，theUnconditionedmustberepresentedas
positiveandnotnegative。Howthencanitbealegitimateconclusionfrom
theargument，thatourconsciousnessofitisnegative？Anargumentthevery
constructionofwhichassignstoacertaintermacertainmeaning，butwhich
endsinshowingthatthistermhasnosuchmeaning，issimplyanelaborate
suicide。Clearly，then，theverydemonstrationthatadefiniteconsciousness
oftheAbsoluteisimpossibletous，unavoidablypresupposesanindefiniteconsciousnessofit。Perhapsthebestwayofshowingthatweareobligedtoformapositive
thoughVagueconsciousnessofthiswhichtranscendsdistinctconsciousness，
istoanalyzeourconceptionoftheantithesisbetweenRelativeandAbsolute。
Itisadoctrinecalledinquestionbynone，thatsuchantinomiesofthought
asWholeandPart，EqualandUnequal，SingularandPlural，arenecessarily
conceivedascorrelatives:theconceptionofapartisimpossiblewithout
theconceptionofawhole;therecanbenoideaofequalitywithoutoneof
inequality。Anditisundeniablethatinthesamemanner，theRelativeis
itselfconceivableassuch，onlybyoppositiontotheIrrelativeorAbsolute。
SirWilliamHamilton，however，inhistrenchant（andinmostpartsunanswerable）
criticismonCousin，contends，inconformitywithhispositionabovestated，
thatoneofthesecorrelativesisnothingmorethanthenegationoftheother。
\"Correlatives，\'hesays，\"certainlysuggesteachother，butcorrelatives
may，ormaynot，beequallyrealandpositive。Inthoughtcontradictories
necessarilyimplyeachother，fortheknowledgeofcontradictoriesisone。
Buttherealityofonecontradictory，sofarfromguaranteeingthereality
oftheother，isnothingelsethanitsnegation。Thuseverypositivenotion
（theconceptofathingbywhatitis）suggestsanegativenotion（theconcept
ofathingbywhatitisnot）;andthehighestpositivenotion，thenotion
oftheconceivable，isnotwithoutitscorrespondingnegativeinthenotion
oftheinconceivable。Butthoughthesemutuallysuggesteachother，thepositive
aloneisreal;thenegativeisonlyanabstractionoftheother，andinthe
highestgenerality，evenanabstractionofthoughtitself。\"Nowthe
assertionthatofsuchcontradictories\"thenegativeisonlyanabstraction
oftheother\"——\"isnothingelsethanitsnegation，\"——is
nottrue。InsuchcorrelativesasEqualandUnequal，itisobviousenough
thatthenegativeconceptcontainssomethingbesidesthenegationofthe
positiveone;forthethingsofwhichequalityisdeniedarenotabolished
fromconsciousnessbythedenial。AndthefactoverlookedbySirWilliam
Hamiltonis，thatthelikeholdsevenwiththosecorrelativesofwhichthe
negativeisinconceivable，inthestrictsenseoftheword。Takeforexample
theLimitedandtheUnlimited。OurnotionoftheLimitediscomposed，firstly
ofaconsciousnessofsomekindofbeing，andsecondlyofaconsciousness
ofthelimitsunderwhichitisknown。Intheantitheticalnotionofthe
Unlimited，theconsciousnessoflimitsisabolished，butnottheconsciousness
ofsomekindofbeing。Itisquitetruethatintheabsenceofconceived
limits，thisconsciousnessceasestobeaconceptproperlysocalled;but
itisnonethelesstruethatitremainsasamodeofconsciousness。If，
insuchcases，thenegativecontradictorywere，asalleged，\"nothing
else\"thanthenegationoftheother，andthereforeamerenon—entity
thenitwouldfollowthatnegativecontradictoriescouldbeusedinterchangeably:
theUnlimitedmightbethoughtofasantitheticaltotheDivisible;andthe
IndivisibleasantitheticaltotheLimited。Whilethefactthattheycannot
besoused，provesthatinconsciousnesstheUnlimitedandtheIndivisible
arequalitativelydistinct，andthereforepositiveorreal;sincedistinction
cannotexistbetweennothings。Theerror，（naturallyfallenintobyphilosophers
intentondemonstratingthelimitsandconditionsofconsciousness，）consists
inassumingthatconsciousnesscontainsnothingbutlimitsandconditions;
totheentireneglectofthatwhichislimitedandconditioned。Itisforgotten
thatthereissomethingwhichalikeformstherawmaterialofdefinitethought
andremainsafterthedefinitenesswhichthinkinggaveithasbeendestroyed。
Nowallthisappliesbychangeoftermstothelastandhighestofthese
antinomies——thatbetweentheRelativeandtheNon—relative。Weareconscious
oftheRelativeasexistenceunderconditionsandlimits。Itisimpossible
thattheseconditionsandlimitscanbethoughtofapartfromsomethingto
whichtheygivetheform。Theabstractionoftheseconditionsandlimits
is，bythehypothesis，theabstractionofthemonly。Consequentlytheremust
bearesiduaryconsciousnessofsomethingwhichfilleduptheiroutlines。
AndthisindefinitesomethingconstitutesourconsciousnessoftheNon—relative
orAbsolute。Impossiblethoughitistogivetothisconsciousnessanyqualitative
orquantitativeexpressionwhatever，itisnotthelesscertainthatitremainswithusasapositiveandindestructibleelementofthought。Moremanifeststillwillthistruthbecomewhenitisobservedthatour
conceptionoftheRelativeitselfdisappears\'ifourconsciousnessofthe
Absoluteisapurenegation。Itisadmitted，orratheritiscontended，by
thewritersIhavequotedabove，thatcontradictoriescanbeknownonlyin
relationtoeachother——thatequality，forinstance，isunthinkableapart
fromInequality;andthatthustheRelativecanitselfbeconceivedonly
byoppositiontotheNon—relative。Itisalsoadmitted，orrathercontended，
thattheconsciousnessofarelationimpliesaconsciousnessofboththe
relatedterms。IfwearerequiredtoconceivetherelationbetweentheRelative
andNon—relativewithoutbeingconsciousofboth，\"weareinfact\"
（toquotethewordsofMr。Manseldifferentlyapplied）\"requiredto
comparethatofwhichweareconsciouswiththatofwhichwearenotconscious;
thecomparisonitselfbeinganactofconsciousness，andonlypossiblethrough
theconsciousnessofbothitsobjects。\"Whatthenbecomesoftheassertion
that\"theAbsoluteisconceivedmerelybyanegationofconceivability，\"
oras\"themereabsenceoftheconditionsunderwhichconsciousness
ispossible？\"IftheNon—relativeorAbsolute，ispresentinthought
onlyasamerenegation，thentherelationbetweenitandtheRelativebecomes
unthinkable，becauseoneofthetermsoftherelationisabsentfromconsciousness。
Andifthisrelationisunthinkable，thenistheRelativeitselfunthinkable，
forwantofitsantithesis:whenceresultsthedisappearanceofallthoughtwhatever。BothSirWilliamHamiltonandMr。Manseldo，inotherplaces，distinctly
implythatourconsciousnessoftheAbsolute，indefinitethoughitis，is
positive。TheverypassageinwhichSirWilliamHamiltonassertsthat\"the
absoluteisconceivedmerelybyanegationofconceivability，\"itself
endswiththeremarkthat，\"byawonderfulrevelationwearethus，in
theveryconsciousnessofourinabilitytoconceiveaughtabovetherelative
andfinite，inspiredwithabeliefintheexistenceofsomethingunconditioned
beyondthesphereofallcomprehensiblereality。\"Thelastofthese
assertionspracticallyadmitsthatwhichthefirstdenies。Bythelawsof
thoughtasSirWilliamHamiltoninterpretsthem，hefindshimselfforced
totheconclusionthatourconsciousnessoftheAbsoluteisapurenegation。
Heneverthelessfindsthattheredoesexistinconsciousnessanirresistible
convictionofthereal\"existenceofsomethingunconditioned。\"
Andhegetsovertheinconsistencybyspeakingofthisconvictionas\"a
wonderfulrevelation，\"\"abelief\"withwhichweare\"inspired:\"
thusapparentlyhintingthatitissupernaturallyatvariancewiththelaws
ofthought。Mr。Manselisbetrayedintoalikeinconsistency。Whenhesays
that\"wearecompelled，bytheconstitutionofourminds，tobelieve
intheexistenceofanAbsoluteandInfiniteBeing，——abeliefwhichappears
forceduponus，asthecomplementofourconsciousnessoftherelativeand
thefinite;\"heclearlysaysbyimplicationthatthisconsciousness
ispositive，andnotnegative。Hetacitlyadmitsthatweareobligedtoregard
theAbsoluteassomethingmorethananegation——thatourconsciousness
ofitisnot\"themereabsenceoftheconditionsunderwhichconsciousnessispossible。\"Thesupremeimportanceofthisquestionmustbemyapologyfortaxing
thereader\'sattentionalittlefurther，inthehopeofclearinguptheremaining
difficulties。Thenecessarilypositivecharacterofourconsciousnessof
theUnconditioned，which，aswehaveseen，followsfromanultimatelawofthought，willbebetterunderstoodoncontemplatingtheprocessofthought。Oneoftheargumentsusedtoprovetherelativityofourknowledge，is，
thatwecannotconceiveSpaceorTimeaseitherlimitedorunlimited。It
ispointedoutthatwhenweimaginealimit，theresimultaneouslyarises
theconsciousnessofaspaceortimebeyondthelimit。Thisremoterspace
ortime，thoughnotcontemplatedasdefinite，isyetcontemplatedasreal。
Thoughwedonotformofitaconceptionproper，sincewedonotbringit
withinbounds，thereisyetinourmindstheunshapedmaterialofaconception。
SimilarlywithourconsciousnessofCause。Wearenomoreabletoforma
circumscribedideaofCause，thanofSpaceorTime;andweareconsequently
obligedtothinkoftheCausewhichtranscendsthelimitsofourthought
aspositivethoughindefinite。Asonconceivinganyboundedspace，there
arisesanascentconsciousnessofspaceoutsidethebounds;so，whenwethink
ofanydefinitecause，therearisesanascentconsciousnessofacausebehind
it;andintheonecaseasintheother，thisnascentconsciousnessisin
substancelikethatwhichsuggestsit，thoughwithoutform。Themomentum
ofthoughtcarriesusbeyondconditionedexistencetounconditionedexistence;
andthiseverpersistsinusasthebodyofathoughttowhichwecangivenoshape。Henceourfirmbeliefinobjectivereality。Whenwearetaughtthata
pieceofmatter，regardedbyusasexistingexternally，cannotbereally
known，butthatwecanknowonlycertainimpressionsproducedonus，weare
yet，bytherelativityofthought，compelledtothinkoftheseinrelation
toacause——thenotionofarealexistencewhichgeneratedtheseimpressions
becomesnascent。Ifitbeprovedthateverynotionofarealexistencewhich
wecanframe，isinconsistentwithitself——thatmatter，howeverconceived
byus，cannotbematterasitactuallyis，ourconception，thoughtransfigured，
isnotdestroyed:thereremainsthesenseofreality，dissociatedasfar
aspossiblefromthosespecialformsunderwhichitwasbeforerepresented
inthought。ThoughPhilosophycondemnssuccessivelyeachattemptedconception
oftheAbsolute——thoughinobediencetoitwenegative，oneafteranother;
eachideaasitarises;yet，aswecannotexpeltheentirecontentsofconsciousness，
thereeverremainsbehindanelementwhichpassesintonewshapes。Thecontinual
negationofeachparticularformandlimit，simplyresultsinthemoreor
lesscompleteabstractionofallformsandlimits;andsoendsinanindefiniteconsciousnessoftheunformedandunlimited。Andherewecomefacetofacewiththeultimatedifficulty——Howcan
therebeconstitutedaconsciousnessoftheunformedandunlimited，when，
byitsverynature，consciousnessispossibleonlyunderformsandlimits？
Thoughnotdirectlywithdrawnbythewithdrawalofitsconditions，mustnot
therawmaterialofconsciousnessbewithdrawnbyimplication？Mustitnot
vanishwhentheconditionsofitsexistencevanish？Thattheremustbea
solutionofthisdifficultyismanifest;sinceeventhosewhowouldputit
do，asalreadyshown，admitthatwehavesomesuchconsciousness;andthe
solutionappearstobethataboveshadowedforth。Suchconsciousnessisnot，
andcannotbe，constitutedbyanysingleact，butistheproductofmany
mentalacts。Ineachconceptthereisanelementwhichpersists。Itisimpossible
forthiselementtobeabsentfromconsciousness，orforittobepresent
inconsciousnessalone。Eitheralternativeinvolvesunconsciousness——the
onefromwantofthesubstance;theotherfromwantoftheform。Butthe
persistenceofthiselementundersuccessiveconditions，necessitatesasense
ofitasdistinguishedfromtheconditions，andindependentofthem。The
senseofasomethingthatisconditionedineverythoughtcannotbegotrid
of，becausethesomethingcannotbegotridof。Howthenmustthesenseof
thissomethingbeconstituted？Evidentlybycombiningsuccessiveconcepts
deprivedoftheirlimitsandconditions。Weformthisindefinitethought，
asweformmanyofourdefinitethoughts，bythecoalescenceofaseries
ofthoughts。Letmeillustratethis。Alargecomplexobject，havingattributes
toonumeroustoberepresentedatonce，isyettolerablywellconceivedby
theunionofseveralrepresentations，eachstandingforpartofitsattributes。
Onthinkingofapiano，therefirstrisesinimaginationitsouterappearance，
towhichareinstantlyadded（thoughbyseparatementalacts）theideasof
itsremotesideandofitssolidsubstance。Acompleteconception，however，
involvesthestrings，thehammers，thedampers，thepedals;andwhilesuccessively
addingthese，theattributesfirstthoughtoflapsepartiallyorwhollyout
ofconsciousness。Nevertheless，thewholegroupconstitutesarepresentation
ofthepiano。Nowasinthiscaseweformadefiniteconceptofaspecial
existence，byimposinglimitsandconditionsinsuccessiveacts;so，inthe
conversecase，bytakingawaylimitsandconditionsinsuccessiveacts，we
formanindefinitenotionofgeneralexistence。Byfusingaseriesofstates
ofconsciousness，fromeachofwhich，asitarises，thelimitationsandconditions
areabolished，thereisproducedaconsciousnessofsomethingunconditioned。
Tospeakmorerigorously:——thisconsciousnessisnottheabstractofany
onegroupofthoughts，ideas，orconceptions;butitistheabstractofall
thoughts，ideas，orconceptions。Thatwhichiscommontothemallwepredicate
bythewordexistence。Dissociatedasthisbecomesfromeachofitsmodes
bytheperpetualchangeofthosemodes，itremainsasanindefiniteconsciousness
ofsomethingconstantunderallmodes——ofbeingapartfromitsappearances。
Thedistinctionwefeelbetweenspecializedexistencesandgeneralexistence，
isthedistinctionbetweenthatwhichischangeableinusandthatwhich
isunchangeable。ThecontrastbetweentheAbsoluteandtheRelativeinour
minds，isreallythecontrastbetweenthatmentalelementwhichexistsabsolutely，andthosewhichexistrelatively。Sothatthisultimatementalelementisatoncenecessarilyindefinite
andnecessarilyindestructible。Ourconsciousnessoftheunconditionedbeing
literallytheunconditionedconsciousness，orrawmaterialofthoughtto
whichinthinkingwegivedefiniteforms，itfollowsthatanever—present
senseofrealexistenceisthebasisofourintelligence。Aswecaninsuccessive
mentalactsgetridofallparticularconditionsandreplacethembyothers，
butcannotgetridofthatundifferentiatedsubstanceofconsciousnesswhich
isconditionedanewineverythought，thereeverremainswithusasense
ofthatwhichexistspersistentlyandindependentlyofconditions。While
bythelawsofthoughtwearepreventedfromformingaconceptionofabsolute
existence;wearebythelawsofthoughtpreventedfromexcludingtheconsciousness
ofabsoluteexistence:thisconsciousnessbeing，asweheresee，theobverse
ofself—consciousness。Andsincethemeasureofrelativevalidityamongour
beliefs，isthedegreeoftheirpersistenceinoppositiontotheefforts
madetochangethem，itfollowsthatthiswhichpersistsatalltimes，underallcircumstances，hasthehighestvalidityofany。Thepointsinthissomewhattooelaborateargumentarethese:Inthevery
assertionthatallknowledge，properlysocalled，isRelative，thereisinvolved
theassertionthatthereexistsaNon—relative。Ineachstepoftheargument
bywhichthisdoctrineisestablished，thesameassumptionismade。From
thenecessityofthinkinginrelations，itfollowsthattheRelativeisitself
inconceivable，exceptasrelatedtoarealNon—relative。UnlessarealNon—relative
orAbsolutebepostulated，theRelativeitselfbecomesabsolute，andsobrings
theargumenttoacontradiction。Andonwatchingourthoughtswehaveseen
howimpossibleitistogetridoftheconsciousnessofanActualitylying
behindAppearances;andhowfromthisimpossibility，resultsourindestructible
beliefinthatActuality。
Chapter5TheReconcilation§27。Thusdoalllinesofargumentconvergetothesameconclusion。
Thoseimbecilitiesoftheunderstandingwhichdisclosethemselveswhenwe
trytoanswerthehighestquestionsofobjectivescience，subjectivescience
provestobenecessitatedbythelawsofthatunderstanding。Finallywediscover
thatthisconclusionwhich，initsunqualifiedform，seemsopposedtothe
instinctiveconvictionsofmankind，fallsintoharmonywiththemwhenthe
missingqualificationissupplied。Here，then，isthatbasisofagreement
wesetouttoseek。Thisconclusionwhichobjectivescienceillustratesand
subjectivescienceshowstobeunavoidable，——thisconclusionwhichbrings
theresultsofspeculationintoharmonywiththoseofcommonsense;isalso
theconclusionwhichreconcilesReligionwithScience。CommonSenseasserts
theexistenceofareality;ObjectiveScienceprovesthatthisrealitycannot
bewhatwethinkit;SubjectiveScienceshowswhywecannotthinkofitas
itis，andyetarecompelledtothinkofitasexisting;andinthisassertion
ofaRealityutterlyinscrutableinnature，Religionfindsanassertionessentially
coincidingwithherown。Weareobligedtoregardeveryphenomenonasamanifestation
ofsomePowerbywhichweareactedupon;thoughomnipresenceisunthinkable，
yet，asexperiencedisclosesnoboundstothediffusionofphenomena，we
areunabletothinkoflimitstothepresenceofthisPower;whilethecriticisms
ofScienceteachusthatthisPowerisIncomprehensible。Andthisconsciousness
ofanIncomprehensiblePower，calledomnipresentfrominabilitytoassignitslimits，isjustthatconsciousnessonwhichReligiondwells。Tounderstandfullyhowrealisthereconciliationthusreached，itwill
beneedfultolookattherespectiveattitudesthatReligionandSciencehaveallalongmaintainedtowardsthisconclusion。§28。InitsearliestandcrudestformsReligionmanifested，however
vaguelyandinconsistently，anintuitionformingthegermofthishighest
beliefinwhichphilosophiesfinallyunite。Theconsciousnessofamystery
istraceableintherudestghost—theory。Eachhighercreed，rejectingthose
definiteandsimpleinterpretationsofNaturepreviouslygiven，hasbecome
morereligiousbydoingthis。Astheconcreteandconceivableagenciesassigned
asthecausesofthings，havebeenreplacedbyagencieslessconcreteand
conceivable，theelementofmysteryhasnecessarybecomemorepredominant。
Throughallitsphasesthedisappearanceofthosedogmasbywhichthemystery
wasmadeunmysterious，hasformedtheessentialchangedelineatedinreligious
history。AndsoReligionhasbeenapproachingtowardsthatcompleterecognitionofthismysterywhichisitsgoal。ForitsessentiallyvalidbeliefReligionhasconstantlydonebattle。
Grossaswerethedisguisesunderwhichitfirstespousedthisbelief，and
cherishingthisbelief，evenstill，underdisfiguringvestments，ithasnever
ceasedtomaintainanddefendit。ThoughfromagetoageSciencehascontinually
defeateditwherevertheyhavecomeincollision，andhasobligedittorelinquish
oneormoreofitspositions，ithasheldtheremainingoneswithundiminished
tenacity。Aftercriticismhasabolisheditsarguments，therehasstillremained
withittheindestructibleconsciousnessofatruthwhich，howeverfaultythemodeinwhichithadbeenexpressed，isyetatruthbeyondcavil。Butwhilefromthebeginning，Religionhashadtheall—essentialoffice
ofpreventingmenfrombeingwhollyabsorbedintherelativeorimmediate，
andofawakeningthemtoaconsciousnessofsomethingbeyondit，thisoffice
hasbeenbutveryimperfectlydischarged。Initsearlystagestheconsciousness
ofsupernaturebeingsimplytheconsciousnessofnumeroussupernaturalpersons
essentiallyman—like，wasnotfarremovedfromtheordinaryconsciousness。
Asthusconstituted，Religionwasandhaseverbeenmoreorlessirreligious;
andindeedcontinuestobelargelyirreligiousevennow。Inthefirstplace
（restrictingourselvestoReligioninitsmoredevelopedform），ithasall
alongprofessedtohavesomeknowledgeofthatwhichtranscendsknowledge，
andhassocontradicteditsownteachings。Whilewithonebreathithasasserted
thattheCauseofallthingspassesunderstanding，ithas，withthenext
breath，assertedthattheCauseofallthingspossessessuchorsuchattributes
——canbeinsofarunderstood。Inthesecondplace，whileingreatpart
sincereinitsfealtytothegreattruthithashadtouphold，ithasoften
beeninsincere，andconsequentlyirreligious，inmaintainingtheuntenable
doctrinesbywhichithasobscuredthisgreattruth。Eachassertionrespecting
thenature，acts，ormotivesofthatPowerwhichtheUniversemanifeststo
us，hasbeenrepeatedlycalledinquestion，andprovedtobeinconsistent
withitself，orwithaccompanyingassertions。Yeteachofthemhasbeenage
afterageinsistedon。Justasthoughunawarethatitscentralpositionwas
impregnable，Religionhasobstinatelyheldeveryoutpostlongafteritwas
obviouslyindefensible。Andthisintroducesustothethirdandmostserious
formofirreligionwhichReligionhasdisplayed;namely，animperfectbelief
inthatwhichitespeciallyprofessestobelieve。Howtrulyitscentralposition
isimpregnable，Religionhasneveradequatelyrealized。Inthedevoutest
faithaswecommonlyseeit，therelieshiddenacoreofscepticism;