COSMIC PHILOSOPHY 



lished scientific truth which checks the natural 

 extravagance of the intellect left to itself. More- 

 over, as the subjective and objective methods 

 have always coexisted, and as one has never 

 been exclusively employed without the other, 

 the majority of systems have worn a semblance 

 of probability which prevents their shocking us 

 like the almost purely subjective system of the 

 Platonic " Timaios." Nevertheless, that even 

 modern science, in all the plenitude of its power, 

 is unable to rein in the obstinately metaphysical 

 mind, may be seen in the following morsel from 

 Hegel, of all modern thinkers the most consist- 

 ent in his adherence to the subjective, and in 

 his scorn of the objective method. " The sub- 

 stance or essence of matter," says Hegel, " is 

 Gravity ; that of spirit is Freedom. But matter 

 is only heavy inasmuch as it tends to a centre. 

 It is composite ; its very existence is external 

 to itself — sie hesteht ausser einander. Thus the 

 essence of matter consists in the search for a 

 unity which would be its destruction." Specu- 

 lations of this sort would not carry us very far 

 toward the construction of a science of mechan- 

 ics. Yet they are quite in keeping with the fun- 

 damental tenet " that Nature being only the 

 result of the idea of a Creative Intelligence from 

 which we ourselves emanate, we ma)4, without 

 the assistance of experience, and by our pure 

 intellectual activity, find the Creator*s ideas." 

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