HUMAN BODY A MACHINE. 119 



reason mistrust them. As, however, such persons could not 

 clearly express the grounds of their dissent, they are not in 

 a position to oppose doctrines they may feel sure are 

 erroneous, and from a desire to be perfectly fair towards 

 opponents do not like even to express their objections. 



" I hold," says Mr. Huxley, " with the materialist, that 

 the human body, like all living bodies, is a machine, all the 

 operations of which will sooner or later be explained upon 

 physical principles." " I believe that we shall arrive at a 

 mechanical equivalent of consciousness just as we have 

 arrived at a mechanical equivalent of heat."* Professor 

 Huxley holds that all living things are machines, and believes 

 that " thought is as much a function of matter as motion is ;" 

 but of evidence in support of these beliefs there is none that 

 will bear investigation, none that would convince any reason- 

 able being. People may persuade themselves to accept 

 such dogmatic statements, and to believe implicitly in the 

 teacher who propounds them, but to ground their faith upon 

 reason is certainly not possible at this time. I venture to 

 think if only those believed who really understood what 

 they accepted, and what was implied by their acceptance, 

 the number of the faithful would not be formidable. Such 

 opinions and beliefs on the mechanics of life and thought 

 are certainly very striking, but it is remarkable that no one 

 who entertains them has considered it necessary to adduce 

 facts or arguments in their support. The mechanical theory 

 of life and consciousness rests upon authority whose utter- 

 ances are dogmatic and not dependent upon reason, fact, 

 observation, and experiment. 



* Macmillan's Magazine, vol. xxii, p. 78. 



