MONISM AND DUALISM 239 



good evidence to prove the unity of matter and 

 aether, which is only a first step in monism. 



When he comes to the relation between matter and 

 mind, or consciousness, he starts with the assump- 

 tion that the two are one ; an assumption for which 

 there is no evidence. All he can say is (p. 47) " If 

 we understood the nature of matter and energy, we 

 should also understand how the substance under- 

 lying them can under certain conditions feel, desire, 

 and think." And with regard to the origin of life he 

 says (Note 2), " The solution of this transcendent 

 riddle of the world ... can only be reached by a 

 critical analysis and unprejudiced comparison of 

 matter, form, and energy in inorganic and organic 

 nature." A weaker case has never before been pre- 

 sented to scientific men ; and I am quite astonished 

 at Professor HaeckeFs statement (p. 60) that he is 

 firmly convinced that at least nine-tenths of the 

 men of science now living believe in it. 



Professor Lloyd Morgan is another leader of the 

 scientific monists, and in his book on " Animal Life 

 and Intelligence " he discusses the question at con- 

 siderable length. His argument is that, as both 

 materialistic monism and idealistic monism are 

 clearly wrong, therefore scientific monism must be 

 right. Dualism is simply dismissed as the " com- 

 monplace view," and, therefore, I suppose, unworthy 

 of consideration by a philosopher. 



But dualism cannot be killed by sneers like this, 

 nor by a cloud of empty words which carry no clear 

 meaning. Evidence and reasons must be forth- 

 coming before the " common-place view " will be 



