COSMIC PHILOSOPHY 



low the world stands the elephant on the back 

 of the tortoise, and if under the tortoise we put 

 the god Vishnu, where is Vishnu to get a foot- 

 hold ? Nor can our axiom be demonstrated in- 

 ductively, without reasoning in a circle. We can- 

 not adduce the observed equality of action and 

 reaction in proof of the persistence of force, 

 because this persistence is taken for granted in 

 every observation by which the equality of ac- 

 tion and reaction is determined. Obviously it is 

 impossible to prove the truth of an axiom by 

 any demonstration in every step of which the 

 truth of the axiom must be assumed. 



But these results need not surprise or disturb 

 us. As we saw, when discussing the Test of 

 Truth, the process of demonstration, which con- 

 sists in continually " merging derivative truths 

 in those wider and wider truths from which they 

 are derived," must eventually reach a widest 

 truth, which cannot be contained in or derived 

 from any other. At the bottom of all demon- 

 stration there must lie an indemonstrable axiom. 

 And the truth of this axiom can only be certi- 

 fied by the direct application of the test of in- 

 conceivability. We are compelled to believe in 

 the persistence of force, because it is impossible 

 to conceive a variation in the unit by which 

 force is measured. It is impossible to conceive 

 something becoming nothing or nothing becom- 

 ing something, without establishing in thought 

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