254 PART V. WORKING STAGE. 



their destiny, by passing into the state of Nirvana, beyond the 

 realms of sense and thought, or at least beyond the reach of 

 selfishness into the elysium of altruism. Zeno, touching the 

 very heart of the problem, taught how the rational or dis- 

 tinctive element in man might rule the animal element of the 

 passions and the appetites. Confucius found in the study and 

 reverence of antiquity, with its moral treasures, release from 

 spiritual and moral bondage for his people. 



Summing up the matter, we observe that, for certain reasons, 

 the individual distrusts his powers. He asks himself What is 

 the meaning of my life ? Is the good life really more satis- 

 factory than the bad life ? Is there an uncertain struggle 

 between evil and good, or will justice triumph? Is there any 

 help for me, here and now, in my anxieties, or have I only 

 myself to rely on? Am I to obey or to control my capricious 

 impulses? In a word, allowing for varied stages of social 

 development and experience, the individual desires to feel "at 

 home" in the world, and is convinced that this feeling can 

 only be his if support be forthcoming beyond that which self- 

 reliance or his fellows about him can proffer. He needs a 

 cheerful and bracing philosophy of life, an assurance that he 

 does not stand by himself and that the right shall not be mocked. 

 Sometimes, as Lucretius points out, the philosophy of life 

 believed in is neither very cheering nor very bracing, but it is 

 probably the most cheering and bracing within reach. Whether 

 the solution proposed be natural or supernatural, magical or 

 scientific, is indifferent to the fundamental problem of religion. 

 So long as the individual feels that he needs support beyond 

 what he may anticipate from his neighbours, a religion will be 

 to him a necessity, the particular form of the religion being a 

 secondary matter, save in so far as the demand for a cheerful 

 and bracing philosophy of life is well or ill satisfied. 



Definiteness or comprehensiveness in thought thus leads to 

 a definition of religion which in all probability is substantially 

 correct, and which may aid us in distinguishing that which is 

 religion from that which is not. 



The same method may help us to proceed a step further. 

 Is the central fact of all religions the individual's alleged self- 

 inadequacy established by science or not? The mere fact of 

 the existence of religions at all periods makes the supposition 

 eminently plausible. However, throughout this volume, and 

 especially in Conclusion 13, we have seen that, considered 

 from a purely scientific standpoint, the individual as such is , 

 virtually a zero. No religion, therefore, can make the isolated 

 individual appear more impotent than science proves him to 

 be. The religious craving has consequently an indisputable 

 foundation in reality. But what of its object the existence of 

 a power which is to re-assure him? Can science discover any 

 verity corresponding thereto, or propound any cheering and 



