CHAPTER XVIII. 



Man's Place in Nature. 



The value of anything depends upon its use. Nothing 

 in the universe has any intrinsic worth, for environ- 

 ments alone fix the prices of things. Bread is worth- 

 less to a drowning man, it is priceless to a starving 

 one. As with food, so with organisms. Even Deities 

 would be impotent were there no dupes. 



Man has hitherto declared himself to be lord of the 

 universe ; but as this is his own valuation it is of 

 necessity discounted by his ignorance. Unknown 

 outside of his own puny planet, we should require an 

 astral, not a planetary estimate of man's universal 

 value. As this is an impossibility, self-glorification is 

 inevitable. All things considered, moreover, man 

 would be a fool to depreciate himself when it is 

 virtually his prerogative to fix his own price, settle his 

 own worth, stablish his own origin, record his own 

 pedigree, and award himself at pleasure either mor- 

 tality with the brutes or immortality with the gods. 

 The aim of the philosopher hitherto has thus rightly 



