MINE AND THINE 67 



Dr. Ward explains his view further in his account of 

 the relation of Individual and Universal Experience, and 

 of the supposed transition from the former to the latter. 

 Each Ego L, M, or N is originally shut up in its own 

 peculiar, particular world ; every self has for its object its 

 own private not-self. L has non-L ; M has non-M ; N 

 has non-N. 1 These particular selves are to emerge some- 

 how from their particular exclusive worlds and to build up 

 one world, which is the object of a Universal or a Common 

 Experience. And thus the unity of the real is to be 

 restored. 



I have only one word to say on this matter : it is, that 

 the emergence of such independent selves from such origin- 

 ally separate worlds is impossible. Human society cannot 

 arise among such beings : indeed, they themselves would 

 not be human. But Dr. Ward assumes that a part of 

 their several experiences is common to them. ; ' The most, 

 then, that L can indicate or communicate to M of any part 

 of his own experience is so much of it as is common to 

 the experience of both." 2 On the other hand he also 

 assumes that there is nothing ' ' common " to more than 

 one experience till intercourse has taken place. Hence 

 follows the awkward conclusion that there cannot be any- 

 thing common or universal till there has been intercourse, 

 and that there cannot be intercourse except where some- 

 thing common or universal already exists. 



Again, let us look for a moment at the nature of these 

 unities or common elements, which universal experience 

 contains, and which, in Dr. Ward's hands, serve to make 

 the world into an orderly universe. These universals are 

 thoughts, conceptions, general ideas ; and they are the 



1 Naturalism and Agnosticism, ii. 167 ff. 2 /3/V., ii. 167. 



