THE WONDERS OF LIFE 



by monistic philosophy in ancient times to destroy this 

 theistic superstition had no effect on the education of 

 the young. In this the duahstic principles of Plato and 

 Aristotle prevailed, their metaphysical theories being 

 blended with the teaching of the Church. In the Mid- 

 dle Ages the power of the Roman priesthood enforced 

 them everywhere. And, although a good deal of this 

 teaching lost its prestige at the Reformation, the in- 

 fluence of the Church on the school was maintained 

 down to our own time. The spiritual power of the 

 Church finds a useful ally in this in the conservative at- 

 titude of most governments. Throne and altar sup- 

 port each other; both dread the advance of scientific 

 inquiry. In face of this powerful dualistic alliance, 

 supported by the mental apathy of the masses and a 

 convenient blind submission to authority, the monistic 

 system has a difficult position to maintain. It will 

 only gain solid ground in education when the school is 

 divorced from the Church and scientific knowledge is 

 made the foundation of the curriculum. I have pointed 

 out in the nineteenth chapter of the Riddle the guiding 

 principles to be followed in this reform of education in 

 opposition to the influence of Church and state. 



As we have dealt in the eighteenth chapter with mor- 

 als and their development from habit and adaptation, 

 we need only mention here the contradiction that we 

 still find between the monistic claims of pure reason and 

 the dualistic claims of practical reason. This has been 

 largely sustained by Kant's teaching, but his categori- 

 cal imperative has been completely refuted by modern 

 science. The metaphysical grounding of morality on 

 free will and ethical intuitions (a priori) must be re- 

 placed by a physiological ethic, based on monistic 

 psychology. As this can no more recognize a moral 

 order of the world in history than a loving Providence 

 in the life of the individual, the monistic morality of the 



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