﻿THE 
  UNFATHOMED 
  UNIVERSE 
  41 
  

  

  for 
  the 
  enhancement 
  of 
  his 
  life, 
  and 
  some 
  way 
  or 
  means 
  

   of 
  uniting 
  the 
  worshipper 
  with 
  God 
  or 
  the 
  gods. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  evident, 
  then, 
  that 
  the 
  religious 
  language 
  is 
  not 
  the 
  

   scientific 
  language, 
  and 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  impossible 
  to 
  intermingle 
  

   the 
  two. 
  The 
  religious 
  concepts 
  are 
  different 
  and 
  apparently 
  

   more 
  metaphysical 
  ; 
  their 
  aim 
  is 
  interpretation 
  rather 
  than 
  

   description. 
  In 
  short, 
  science 
  and 
  religion 
  are 
  incommen- 
  

   surables. 
  

  

  But 
  to 
  call 
  religion 
  and 
  science 
  ' 
  incommensurables 
  ' 
  is 
  

   not 
  to 
  fall 
  back 
  on 
  the 
  old-fashioned 
  impossible 
  device 
  of 
  

   having 
  idea-tight 
  compartments. 
  Just 
  as 
  a 
  novel 
  scientific 
  

   generalisation 
  is 
  not 
  incorporated 
  in 
  our 
  scientific 
  system 
  

   unless 
  consistent 
  with 
  previously 
  established 
  conclusions, 
  or 
  

   unless 
  the 
  latter 
  can 
  be 
  adjusted 
  to 
  meet 
  the 
  new 
  idea 
  har- 
  

   moniously, 
  so 
  at 
  a 
  greater 
  height, 
  where 
  philosophical 
  dis- 
  

   cipline 
  is 
  invaluable, 
  a 
  religious 
  idea, 
  such 
  as 
  that 
  of 
  a 
  Divine 
  

   Creator, 
  must 
  be 
  congruent 
  with 
  the 
  rest 
  of 
  our 
  world-picture, 
  

   e.g., 
  with 
  the 
  idea 
  of 
  evolution. 
  It 
  is 
  the 
  criterion 
  of 
  con- 
  

   sistency 
  that 
  saves 
  from 
  superstition. 
  

  

  Men 
  are 
  led 
  to 
  religion 
  along 
  many 
  pathways 
  from 
  the 
  

   perplexities 
  of 
  the 
  moral 
  life, 
  from 
  an 
  appreciation 
  of 
  

   the 
  facts 
  of 
  history, 
  and 
  from 
  the 
  experience 
  of 
  reaching 
  the 
  

   limits 
  of 
  practical 
  endeavour, 
  of 
  emotional 
  expression, 
  and 
  

   of 
  intellectual 
  inquiry. 
  When 
  we 
  think 
  of 
  the 
  last-named 
  

   three 
  pathways 
  to 
  religion, 
  which 
  many 
  tread, 
  through 
  

   baulked 
  struggle, 
  over-strained 
  emotion, 
  and 
  baffled 
  search 
  

   after 
  clear 
  understanding, 
  we 
  can 
  see 
  why 
  the 
  rapid 
  devel- 
  

   opment 
  of 
  science 
  should, 
  for 
  a 
  time 
  of 
  transition 
  at 
  least, 
  

   work 
  against 
  religion. 
  For 
  science 
  gives 
  Man 
  from 
  time 
  to 
  

   time 
  a 
  greatly 
  increased 
  mastery 
  over 
  Nature; 
  science, 
  with 
  

   its 
  analytical 
  triumphs, 
  ever 
  tends 
  to 
  diminish, 
  in 
  the 
  shallow- 
  

   minded, 
  the 
  saving 
  grace 
  of 
  wonder; 
  and 
  science 
  is 
  ever 
  

  

  