ii6 THE ORIGIN OF HUMAN REASON. 



Our author further observes* that when thoughts 

 which have coexisted with words come to be thought 



since he now only calls them ' inseparable, and in one sense 

 identical.' I do not understand degrees of identity. No mere 

 closeness of resemblance or connection can make two things 

 absolutely identical. I did not, however, content myself with 

 denying this ' identity * on account of polyonymy and homonymy ; 

 I also referred to common experience (which shows us that men do 

 not invent concepts for preformed words, but the reverse), and 1 

 appealed to certain facts of consciousness. To my assertions about 

 consciousness the Professor replies : * The object of all scientific 

 inquiry is the general and not the individual.' But this is a quite 

 inadequate reply, since our knowledge of general laws is based on 

 our knowledge of individual facts, and if only one man could fly, 

 that single fact would be enough to refute the assertion that flight 

 is impossible to man. 



" With respect to evolution, I never said that Prof. Max Miiller 

 misunderstood ' natural selection,' but only that he misrepresented 

 it — of course unintentionally. It is of the essence of natural 

 selection not to affirm teleology as formerly understood, although, 

 of course, it can say nothing (for the whole of physical science can 

 say nothing) about a primordial teleology at the foundation of the 

 entire cosmos. I, in common with the Professor, look forward to 

 ' the ultimate triumph of reason and right,' but my confidence is 

 not due to any 'faith' I have in 'Nature' or anything else. I 

 profoundly distrust 'faith' as an ultimate basis for any judgment ; 

 I regard my conviction as a dictum of pure reason — the certain and 

 evident teaching of that science which underhes and gives validity 

 to every other. I therefore agree with Prof. Max Miiller in regard- 

 ing it as a lesson which ' true philosophy teaches us.' 



" St. George Mivart." 



In the number of the Nineteenth Century for March, 1889, 

 Prof. Max Miiller has published an article, entitled, " Can we think 

 without Words ? " Therein (p. 401, note 2) he in a truly wonderful 

 manner concedes all that we demand — at least, he represents him- 

 self as having done so in a previous work. His words are : " When 

 I speak of words I include other signs likewise, such as figures, for 

 instance, or hieroglyphics, or Chinese or Accadian symbols. All I 



• p. 83. 



