44 AGNOSTICISM. 



exists, an absolutely necessary being exists. Now 

 I exist : therefore an absolutely necessary (uncon- 

 ditioned) being {i.e.y God as the First Cause) 

 exists. 



The physico-theological proof Is the argument 

 from design, and argues from the wisdom and in- 

 telligence in the creation to the existence of a wise 

 and intelligent Creator. 



Now, says Kant, both the cosmologlcal and the 

 physico-theological proofs depend ultimately on the 

 ontological, and the ontological simply begs the 

 question. It professes to establish the existence of 

 God, i.e., toshow that a reality corresponds to our 

 conception. But in order to do so, it assumes the 

 conception of a totality of all reality, in which it has 

 covertly included actual existence. Mere thought, 

 therefore, cannot prove that a reality corresponds to 

 its ideas.; it would be as reasonable to suppose that 

 we might increase our property by thinking of vast 

 sums. Reality can be derived only from experience 

 of reality, not from any manipulation of abstract 

 ideas. 



To this argument,, which has never been met, 

 nothing need be added ; it is a conclusive refuta- 

 tion of a conception of God which has almost 

 monopolized the attention of philosophers. 



With regard to the cosmologlcal, it. must be 

 pointed out that, until it has been connected with 

 the ontological proof, it does not specify what the 

 "absolutely necessary being" is, or exclude the 

 possibility of its being the. world as a whole, or a 

 Spencerian *' Unknowable" instead of a God. So it is 

 connected with the ontological proof, on the ground 

 that the conception of a being possessing all reality 

 is the only one which can completely determine that 



