30 ULTIMATE RELIGIOUS IDEAS. 



it, gain the conviction that this symbolic conception stands 

 for an actual existence, and, in a sense, truly expresses cer- 

 tain of its constituent relations. Thus our symbolic concep- 

 tions being in the majority of cases capable of development 

 into complete ones, and in most other cases serving as steps 

 to conclusions which are proved valid by their correspond- 

 ence with observation, we acquire a confirmed habit of deal- 

 ing with them as true conceptions — as real representations 

 of actualities. Learning by long experience that they can, 

 if needful, be verified, we are led habitually to accept them 

 without verification. And thus we open the door to some 

 which profess to stand for known things, but which really 

 stand for things that cannot be known in any way. 



To sum up, we must say of conceptions in general, that 

 they are complete only when the attributes of the object 

 conceived are of such number and kind that they can be 

 represented in consciousness so nearly at the same time as to 

 seem all present together; that as the objects conceived be- 

 come larger and more complex, some of the attributes first 

 thought of fade from consciousness before the rest have 

 been represented, and the conception thus becomes imper- 

 fect ; that when the size, complexity, or discreteness of the 

 object conceived becomes very great, only a small portion 

 of its attributes can be thought of at once, and the concep- 

 tion formed of it thus becomes so inadequate as to be a mere 

 symbol; that nevertheless such symbolic conceptions, which 

 are indispensable in general thinking, are legitimate, pro- 

 vided that by some cumulative or indirect process of 

 thought, or by the fulfilment of predictions based on them, 

 we can assure ourselves that they stand for actualities; but 

 that when our symbolic conceptions are such that no cumu- 

 lative or indirect processes of thought can enable us to ascer- 

 tain that there are corresponding actualities, nor any predic- 

 tions be made whose fulfilment can prove this, then they are 

 altogether vicious and illusive, and in no way distinguish- 

 able from pure fictions. 



