2/0 MAN AND THE WORLD. 



Standpoints, are impelled by the force of all but in- 

 superable reasonings towards contrary conclusions, 

 and as they meet midway, the shock of their col- 

 lision seems like to shatter the authority of human 

 reason. For just as Idealism concluded from the 

 fact that the world exists in consciousness, that it 

 existed only in the individual's consciousness, so 

 Materialism concludes from the fact that the w^orld 

 dispenses with every individual, that all may be 

 dispensed with. The exaggeration and the flaw is 

 the same in both. Materialism overlooks that the 

 world it speaks of is phenomenal, that the indivi- 

 dual dispensed with is phenomenal also ; and that 

 what appears need not be all that ultimately is. Its 

 arguments, therefore, do not touch the individual's 

 conviction of his ultimate reality. Similarly, Ideal- 

 ism cannot affect the individual's conviction that there 

 must be something beside himself to account for 

 the appearances to him. If, then, we recognize the 

 distinction of the phenomenal and ultimate reality, 

 the contradiction between Materialism and Idealism 

 ceases to be insoluble. 



§ 1 6. And to say nothing of other difficulties 

 which it alone can solve, this fact is in Itself suffici- 

 ent reason for making the distinction between phen- 

 omenal and transcendent reality, which may at 

 first sight appear somewhat needless. In so doing 

 we are proving true to the principle of our method, 

 by solving a conflict between thought and fact by an 

 appeal to metaphysic. And it is certainly a more 

 satisfactory method thus to reconcile the contending 

 parties than for each to go on re -asserting the un- 

 tenableness of Its opponent's position from its own 

 point of view. Students of philosophy must be well- 

 nigh sick by this time of hearing the well-worn 



