DISCUSSION 175 



outcome of this spiritualistic Psychology with 

 freedom of the will as its central dogma.' 



This statement is incorrect. The futility 

 of the struggle against crime is not due to the 

 Christian doctrines of the unity of the soul 

 and of the freedom of the will, but, on the 

 contrary, to the contempt of these doctrines 

 a contempt which is spreading among the lower 

 classes. If a man regards himself as nothing more 

 than a superior kind of animal, and is convinced 

 that he inevitably must yield to his impulses, 

 however low they may be, he can certainly 

 find a convenient excuse for every kind of 

 crime. Monistic Ethics are therefore necessarily 

 a cause of crime, not a remedy for it. 



c Therefore for reasons of knowledge we must 

 take up our stand upon a strictly monistic psycho- 

 logy. Speaking as a monist, I emphasise the 

 identity and the connection of all beings. Written 

 on the face of every human being, we seem able to 

 read the inspiring words : " See, this is thyself." 

 The recognition of this is, for us monists, the 

 source of brotherly activity, but an integral part 

 of monism is the theory of evolution. Man is 

 becoming more and more conscious of evolution, 

 and monism demands of him that he should 

 consciously take part in it. To give free play to 

 evolution is the monists' moral law, and the 

 monistic doctrine of immortality is firmly rooted 



