THE QUESTION RESTATED 



Let us not forget, in stating the question, that 

 we are now in a region of thought where absolute 

 demonstration, in the scientific sense, is impos- 

 sible. I believe it is beyond the power of sci- 

 ence to prove that the divine Power immanent 

 in the Cosmos either does or does not work by- 

 anthropomorphic methods. We cannot expect, 

 therefore, to obtain a result which, like a mathe- 

 matical theorem, shall stand firm through mere 

 weight of logic, or which, like a theorem in phy- 

 sics, can be subjected to a crucial test. W^ can 

 only examine the arguments upon which the 

 anthropomorphic hypothesis is founded, and 

 inquire whether they are of such a character as 

 to be convincing or satisfactory to thinkers who 

 rigidly adhere to the Doctrine of Evolution, who 

 assert the relativity of knowledge, and who re- 

 fuse to reason upon the subjective method. If, 

 then, it turns out that these arguments are 

 not thus satisfactory, it will follow that, as the 

 Doctrine of Evolution becomes more and more 

 widely understood and accepted, the anthropo- 

 morphic hypothesis will generally fall into dis- 

 credit, not because it will have been disproved, 

 but because there will be no sufficient warrant 

 for maintaining it. Or — to restate the case — 

 if the hypothesis which represents God as work- 

 ing after quasi-human methods be found har- 

 monious with the scientific truths upon which 

 our Cosmic Philosophv rests, it may survive 

 i8i 



