150 HABIT AND INTELLIGENCE. [cHAr. 



midst of which it is placed, hut is the highest product of 

 the forces of that world ; and what we have discovered 

 concerning the dynamics, both of inorganic matter and of 

 life, makes it highly probable, if not indeed quite certain, 

 that in every physical and every mental change there is 

 some transformation of energy. 

 Smiiinary. To sum Up in the fewest words possible the results of 

 this chapter : — Time, space, and causation are facts of the 

 universe which have become forms of thought in conse- 

 quence of coming within the spliere of our consciousness. 

 Our conceptions of time, space, and causation are results 

 of the experience of the race which have become forms of 

 thought for the individual. 



But though I believe this account of the matter to be 



true so far as it goes, I do not think it exhausts the ques- 



Belief in tion. Any account of ovu- conceptions of time and space, 



finit\"of if complete, ought to explain why we believe in the infinity 



spacG anil of both. Those who regard these conceptions as mere 



results of experience, say that we have never found any 



limit to space, and are therefore iinable to conceive of any ; 



and that we have never found an end of time, and are 



therefore unable to conceive of any. I cannot, however, 



think this satisfactory. We believe that time is alike 



without end and without beginning ; and any theory of 



the subject ought to account for this twofold belief. Now 



the pure and simple experience-theory does not account 



for tliis. It accounts for the belief that time is without 



an end, by the fact that we have never had experience of 



any portion of time without another portion of time 



Difference coming after it. But this will not apply to our belief that 



ourTe'uef ^^^^ ^^ without a beginning ; for the first time that any 



of an one's consciousness was awakened, he had at that moment 



past, and experience of a portion of time without having experience 



of a-n of any other portion of time coming before it ; so that, for 



future. anything that mere experience can witness to, there is 



nothing inconceivable in a beginning of time.^ I think 



1 This difference has been pointed out to me in conversation by my 

 friend the Rev. Dr. Reichel, Vicar of Mullingar. 



