MATTER AND SPIRIT 



Within the limits of our experience no one sup- 

 poses that thinking is done without a body. No 

 philosopher of any school whatever, theological 

 or scientific, maintains that during the period 

 of human life there is such a thing as conscious- 

 ness without brain. None will assert that, under 

 terrestrial conditions, we have any experience 

 of psychical manifestation apart from physical 

 structure. When, therefore, some speculative 

 physiologist singles out one of the most impor- 

 tant chemical ingredients of brain substance, and 

 tells us that there is no thinking done with- 

 out that chemical ingredient, we have no good 

 ground either for rejoicing over increased wis- 

 dom or for alarm at possible conclusions. The 

 conclusions to be drawn, whatever they may be, 

 remain just the same as before. Vision is es- 

 sentially a psychical process ; yet no one pre- 

 tends that vision can be accomplished without 

 an eye. If I were to proclaim on the house- 

 tops, " No vision without retinal rods,** would 

 not the common sense of mankind either rebuke 

 my audacity in pretending that I had got pos- 

 session of a new and wonderful truth, or de- 

 risively inquire my reasons for making so much 

 outcry over such a manifest platitude ? 



The case remains entirely unaltered when we 



come to such a minute comparison of psychical 



manifestation and brain action as was indicated 



in our chapter on the Evolution of Mind. 



269 



