f6 THE DOCTRINE OF DESCENT. 



composed possessed, moreover, of powers of compre- 

 hension sufficient to submit all these facts to analysis, 

 would be able to reduce to a single formula the motions 

 of the largest heavenly body and of the lightest atom. 

 To such a mind nothing would be uncertain, and the 

 future, like the past, would lie open before it. The 

 human mind in all the perfection which it has been able 

 to give to astronomy, offers but a faint image of such 

 a mind as this." "All efforts of the human intellect in 

 the search for truth tend to approach the mind above 

 portrayed, but will always remain infinitely removed 

 from it." 



The Prussian physiologist then quotes the " Thou 

 art like the Spirit whom thou comprehendest" of Faust ;* 

 and is of opinion that, in the abstract, the formula of 

 the universe is therefore not impenetrable to the human 

 intellect. But we own we are cordially indifferent to an 

 abstract perfection which never comes to light, and 

 regard the unattainableness of this vague formula of 

 the universe as a very endurable limit to human inquiry. 

 But independently of the dubious consolation of the 

 formula of the universe, we must agree with Dubois- 

 Reymond, when he considers that the limits, before 

 which the highest conceivable intelligence must pause, 

 are also insurmountable to man. 



In accordance with the views now prevailing among 

 physicists and biologists, Dubois-Reymond has thus 

 specified the only limit given to the investigation of 

 nature 3 : "The knowledge of natural science, more closely 

 defined above, is no real knowledge. In the attempt to 

 comprehend the constant, to which the mutations in 



* Du gleichst dem Geist, den du begreifst. 



