436 COSMIC PHILOSOPHY. [pt. in. 



philosophic results of recent scientific inquiry. Because Dr. 

 Biichner and his followers point to certain discoveries in 

 nervous physiology or in transcendental physics as evidence 

 of the materiality of mind, it has come to be currently 

 supposed that those scientific inquirers who accept the dis- 

 coveries accept also the materialistic inference. And because 

 the ablest scientific inquirers, being more occupied in hunting 

 for truths than in looking about for ugly consequences, have 

 seldom said anything on either side of the question, their 

 silence has been interpreted as equivalent to assent, both by 

 the materialists and by the theologians. Energetic protests, 

 however, have been made against this erroneous interpreta- 

 tion, by Prof. Tyndall on the part of molecular physics, and 

 by Prof Huxley on the part of physiology ; while Mr. 

 Spencer has most conclusively demonstrated that, from the 

 scientific point of view, the hypothesis of the materialists is 

 not only as untenable to-day as it has ever been, but must 

 always remain inferior in philosophic value to the opposing 

 spiritualistic hypothesis. Let us look at some of the argu- 

 ments which necessitate this conclusion. 



"No thought without phosphorus!" This remark of 

 Moleschott's has been called a " trenchant " remark. To me 

 it seems a very barren piece of truism. I have no doubt 

 that a century hence, the fact that such a remark should 

 nave been regarded either as a valuable novelty or as an 

 alarming heresy, will be cited in evidence of the intellectual 

 dulness of our time. If the aphorism is not restricted to 

 the conditions under which thinking occurs within the limits 

 of our experience, it is merely an audacious assertion, not 

 worthy of serious refutation. If it is thus restricted, it 

 becomes a mere platitude. Within the limits of our ex- 

 perience no one supposes that thinking is done without a 

 jody. No philosopher of any school whatever, theological 

 or scientific, maintains that, during the period of human life 

 there is such a thing as consciousness without biain. None 



