CHAP. XIII.] CONSEQUENCES. 379 



to a more thorough and complete appreciation of that self- 

 knowledge and of all that is made known to us thereby, than 

 any other cause (save such denial) could well be conceived 

 as producing. The supreme importance of the Delphic 

 inscription acquires a fresh significance. In knowing &quot; our 

 selves &quot; we come to know, with a supreme degree of certainty, 

 a whole sphere of objective truths which the intellect is seen 

 to have the wonderful faculty of perceiving together with 

 the very light by which those truths manifest themselves to 

 it namely, their objective, necessary, and universal truth. 



The facts here referred to may be recapitulated and 

 summed up, in other words, as follows : 



The consideration of our own continued existence reveals 

 to us objective truth and our possession of it. 



Our self-consciousness also reveals to us that there are 

 universal, objectively necessary truths (as e.g., &quot; what thinks 

 exists &quot;), and that we can know them. 



Similarly our intellect shows us the validity of our own 

 reason and the objective validity of the syllogism which 

 renders implicit truth explicit to us. 



Hence we learn the validity of our inference as to the 

 existence of a First Cause of the universe known to us, 

 and of a possible indefinitely vast universe beyond our 

 knowledge. 



From this Cause, which our reason tells us must be greater 

 and higher than we can conceive, we rationally infer &quot; order.&quot; 

 Therefore there must be a purpose in all that such Cause 

 produces, since &quot;order&quot; and &quot;purpose&quot; exist in human 

 actions and are recognised by the human intellect, which is 

 one amongst the effects of such First Cause. 



Such are the consequences which spring from the denial 

 of and consequent controversy about our knowledge of our 

 own continued existence. 



II. With respect to &quot; Will,&quot; the passionate obstinacy with 

 which the declarations of the common sense of A stothe 

 mankind are contested and every fragment of free 

 self-determining power denied, serves to bring out more 



