326 ORGANIC EVOLUTION CONSIDERED 



which he may not carelessly let die. He, like every 

 other man, may properly consider himself as one of 

 the myriad agencies through whom works the Un- 

 known Cause; and when the Unknown Cause pro- 

 duces in him a certain belief, he is thereby authorized 

 to profess and act out that belief." * 



Let us see what these statements logically mean. 

 All beliefs in the mind of man are produced by the 

 Unknown Cause. The fact that a belief is produced 

 by the Unknown Cause, gives authority not only to 

 profess, but to act it out. 



These propositions being true, man is not responsi- 

 ble for his beliefs nor for his acts ; and, therefore, no 

 belief nor act can have any moral quality. In other 

 words, all beliefs and acts are equally good and true, 

 even when they are opposed to each other, and when 

 they produce the most dreadful results. 



We have here the doctrine of fatality — the denying 

 of human responsibility — the annihilation of moral- 

 ity — the responsibility of all beliefs and actions is 

 thrown on the Unknown Cause. This is the justifica- 

 tion for the promulgation of Agnosticism. 



He may remember that " he is a descendant of the 

 past," but he does not necessarily become a " parent 

 of the future." It is in his power to determine 

 whether he will leave progeny or not — and if children 

 of the mind are born, he may determine whether they 

 shall live or die. Nor can he escape the responsi- 

 bility of destroying intellectual monstrosities by 

 throwing the responsibility of their birth on the Un- 

 known Cause. He owes no duty to the Unknown 

 Cause which requires him to murder the moral 

 natures of his fellow men by promulgating a destruc- 

 tive creed. 



If Agnosticism is true, then its truth is a calamity 



* Synthetic Philosophy, First Principles, p. 123. 



