MATTER AND SPIRIT 



thing like this : Every attempt to interpret 

 the succession of mental phenomena by means 

 of theorems originally devised to interpret the 

 movements of matter involves the assertion of 

 materialism ; the assertion of materialism in- 

 volves the denial of personal immortality ; the 

 denial of personal immortality deprives morality 

 of its principal sanction, and prevents us from 

 having any higher ideal of life than the gratifi- 

 cation of egoistic desires ; ergo, we are justified 

 in insinuating that philosophers who interpret 

 mental manifestations by a reference to material 

 ^.tructure are likely to be men of loose morals. 

 Such is the tacit argument which underlies this 

 kind of theological misrepresentation ; and in 

 pity for the mental confusion which it implies, 

 we may perhaps condone or overlook the big- 

 otry which assists in disguising its flimsiness. In 

 truth, a more striking example of the audacity 

 of the subjective method could not well be 

 found. Not one of the premises from which so 

 startling a conclusion is drawn has been veri- 

 fied ; and it would not be difficult to show that 

 each one involves a non sequitur. It might be 

 shown that the denial of personal immortality 

 does not deprive morality of its principal sanc- 

 tion, or prevent us from having any higher 

 ideal of life than the gratification of egoistic de- 

 sires. And it might be forcibly argued that the 

 denial of personal immortaHty has by no means 

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