8 A. THEORY OF LIFE DEDUCED 



mind ! We human beings can know nothing of the 

 primary hoiv, u'liat or why ; nothing of the first origin and 

 real substance of things ; nothing of mind or matter in 

 themselves; we know only the proximate how, what and 

 why ; we know and can know only phenomena and their 

 relations, and even such facts as are within the domain of 

 knowledge are known to us as relative and not as absolute 

 truth ; they are true only for beings such as we. Why do 

 we say so ? For the simple reason that the limited capacities 

 of a human being are always reflected in his perception of 

 things must of necessity determine the character of his 

 knowledge. What we know presents itself to us as we 

 know it because we are what we are. To beings otherwise 

 constituted the known object would be otherwise known. 

 Our analysis, then, brings us to this conclusion : whatever 

 affects consciousness ranges itself either under the head of 

 the unknowable or the knowable. And even such affections 

 of consciousness as are knowable are known to us only as 

 relative and not as absolute truth. Note carefully that the 

 genesis and substance of things, according to our state- 

 ment, are not only unknown but absolutely unknowable. 

 As we are simply trying to set forth a theory of life, we do not 

 regard it incumbent on us to fortify our propositions step 

 by step with the necessary arguments ; but there has been 

 such a fatal misconception of the significance of the word 

 unknowable, as used in this connection, that an extended 

 elucidation seems absolutely essential. 



"What right have you to say of anything that it is 

 unknowable ? " I imagine I hear some one object. " Un- 

 knowable, indeed ! Who that recollects the glorious 

 achievements of the human intellect will dare to pronounce 

 as forever unknowable what is at present simply unknown? 

 Might not the barbarians of thousands of years ago have 



