COSMIC PHILOSOPHY 



known just in so far as the impressions which it 

 produces upon us can be assimilated to previous 

 impressions. Or if this is still not perfectly- 

 clear, a brief citation from Mr. Spencer will 

 make it clear. " An animal hitherto unknown^ 

 though not referable to any established species 

 or genus, is yet recognized as belonging to one 

 of the larger divisions — mammals, birds, rep- 

 tiles, or fishes ; or should it be so anomalous 

 that its aUiance with any of these is not deter- 

 minable, it may yet be classed as vertebrate or 

 invertebrate ; or if it be one of those organ- 

 isms of which it is doubtful whether the animal 

 or vegetal characteristics predominate, it is still 

 known as a living body ; even should it be 

 questioned whether it is organic, it remains be- 

 yond question that it is a material object, and 

 it is cognized by being recognized as such. 

 Whence it is manifest that a thing is perfectly 

 known only when it is in all respects like cer- 

 tain things previously observed ; that in pro- 

 portion to the number of respects in which it is 

 unlike them, is the extent to which it is un- 

 known ; and that hence when it has absolutely 

 no attribute in common with anything else, it 

 must be absolutely beyond the bounds of know- 

 ledge." ^ 



The bearing of all this upon our main thesis 

 is so obvious as to need but the briefest men- 

 ' First Principles, p. 80. [§ 24.] 

 18 



