196 BELIEFS AND EXISTENCES 



of the philosopher and the common man. What 

 would not the philosopher give, did he not have 

 to part with some of his common humanity in order 

 to join a class? Does he not always, when chal 

 lenged, justify himself with the contention that all 

 men naturally philosophize, and that he but does 

 in a conscious and orderly way what leads to 

 harm when done in an indiscriminate and irreg 

 ular way ? If philosophy be at once a natural his 

 tory and a logic an art of beliefs, then its tech 

 nical justification is at one with its human justi 

 fication. The natural attitude of man, said Emer 

 son, is believing ; &quot; the philosopher, after some 

 struggle, having only reasons for believing.&quot; Let 

 the struggle then enlighten and enlarge beliefs ; 

 let the reasons kindle and engender new beliefs. 



Finally, it is not a solution, but a problem which 

 is presented. As philosophers, our disagreements 

 as to conclusions are trivial compared with our dis 

 agreement as to problems. To see the problem 

 another sees, in the same perspective and at the 

 same angle that amounts to something. Agree 

 ment in solutions is in comparison perfunctory. 

 To experience the same problem another feels 

 that perhaps is agreement. In a world where dis 

 tinctions are as invidious as comparisons are odi 

 ous, and where intellect works only by comparison 

 and distinction, pray what is one to do? 



But beliefs are personal matters, and the person, 



