210 Kant's Agnosticism. CHAP. 



with the metaphysical conception of Mind which 

 was received in Kant's time, according to which, 

 although the mind comes into contact with the ex- 

 ternal world in sensation, yet in thought it is shut 

 in and isolated. And from this the passage is easy 

 and obvious, to the conclusion that absolute Truth 

 truth which is true independently of any faculties of 

 ours is unattainable by us, and may possibly have 

 no existence. Thus with Kant the conclusions of 

 the speculative reason led to speculative scepticism. 

 Although he endeavoured to escape from the absolute 

 scepticism of the pure, or speculative, reason by 

 means of what he called the practical reason, that 

 is to say, the sense of Duty as distinguished from the 

 sense of Truth, this part of his philosophy is not 

 generally thought to be successful ; and it appears 

 extremely improbable that if absolute, super-sensual, 

 and Divine Truth is opened to man through the sense 

 of Duty, it should be made known in no other way. 

 It is certainly much more likely that when once our 

 eyes are opened to the light of Heaven, everything 

 will be seen to shine with it. 



Kant's conclusion that absolute Truth is unattain- 

 able, is what is now called Agnosticism ; and, so far 

 as I am aware, the agnostics of our time have made 

 no advance on this part of his philosophy. 



Let us now approach the subject from a different 

 point of view ; not that of abstract metaphysics, but 

 nearer to that of natural history ; and let us try to 



