272 SCIENCE AND IMMORTALITY 



Can philosophy give no hope ? Philosophy can. 

 Philosophy admits that from one point of view — 

 the point of view of science — the mind is depend- 

 ent on the integrity of the brain, and that logically 

 there seems no way out of it ; but still there is a 

 philosophic way out of it — the way we have in- 

 dicated in the previous chapter. 



The cells of the brain — the cells upon which con- 

 sciousness seems so certainly to depend, as can be 

 shown by many experiments — are nevertheless only 

 items of consciousness. Every quality they possess 

 simply exists by virtue of the consciousness which 

 seems to depend upon them : they have certainly no 

 separate existence outside the consciousness. How, 

 then, can they be the source of consciousness ? 

 Science says certain cells are the cells of sight and 

 see ; but it is quite conceivable that a man might 

 be trepanned, and might by means of mirrors and 

 microscopes see these very cells which are supposed 

 to be the seat of sight. How can that be ? How 

 can the cells get outside themselves and see them- 

 selves ? They cannot ! It is absurd ! Therefore 

 sight cannot depend on them. But, says Science, 

 and says truly, " if you destroyed these cells you 

 could not see." " Likewise," retorts Philosophy, 

 " if you destroyed the eye you would not see ; but 

 you do not say, therefore, that the eye sees." 



The eye seems to see, and the man in the street 



