I S^ RECONSTRUCTION. 



O 



imism, we must be prepared to account for Imper- 

 fection, Becoming and Time — the three chief and 

 most obvious characteristics of our world. In this, 

 stupendous task the only favourable omen at the 

 start is that no sane human being- will resign him- 

 self to Pessimism if he can possibly help it, that the- 

 merest possibility of an alternative must be hailed 

 with delight by every one who has become con- 

 scious of the difficulty. 



The search, then, for an alternative to Pessimisn^ 

 is a desperate undertaking, which can be justified 

 only by success ; for success alone can save us from 

 despair. And it must be admitted that appearances, 

 are against us, and that our only hope is to pene- 

 trate beyond them : the very principles of our 

 reasoning are hypothetical, conceded ad hoc by 

 Scepticism : the end at which we aim, if attained,, 

 would revolutionize the character of the world, and 

 nothing short of complete success will deliver us. 

 from the monstrous spectre of Pessimism. 



We set out, then, under sentence of death, like 

 Sir Walter Raleigh, to discover Eldorado, and the- 

 penalty of failure will be inexorably exacted if we 

 fail. 



§ 3. Under such circumstances we shall do well 

 to begin by taking stock of our resources, by seeing 

 what salvage may be. fished up out of the shipwreck 

 of our hopes. 



In addition to the laws of our thouorht, there is. 

 one principle which Scepticism did not deny, and 

 Indeed could not deny, without manifestly cutting 

 away the basis of Its own argument, viz. the reality 

 of the Self or Soul. 



Our scepticism did not deny It, because it was 

 Immanent and did not stray beyond the limits of 



