PHILOSOPHY YEESUS MATEEIALISM. 



61 



(1) It is utterly impossible to identify the objects of sense- 

 perception with those of self- consciousness — (2) Life, as far as 

 we are concerned with it in this lecture, must include conscious- 

 ness — (3) Philosophy must, in its essential principles, be deduced 

 from the primary data and laws of consciousness — Particular 

 examination of Mr. Huxley's theory of Protoplasm, and its natural 

 properties — The fallacy of his reasonings founded on the alleged 

 analogy between water, as " consisting of a chemical union of 

 oxygen and hydrogen, and life as supposed to result from the 

 constituents of Protoplasm — Materialism of his whole theory. 



PHILOSOPHY VERSUS MATERIALISM. 



ABSTRACT OF MR. CHARLTON'S PAPER. 



This Lecture might have better borne the title of "Philosophy 

 versus Huxleyism," as the objections urged against the principles 

 of Materialism are founded chiefly upon an article by Professor 

 Huxley in the Fortnightly Review. 



The lecturer commenced by referring to two different ways of 

 contemplating the operations of mind — namely, through the bodily 

 organism, and by means of self-consciousness — and endeavoured to 

 show that exclusive attention given to either of these modes of in- 

 vestigation leads necessarily to one-sided and partial conclusions. 

 Observing that the tendency of scientific inquiry at the present 

 time is greatly in the direction of Materialism, the lecturer laid 

 down three preliminary propositions : — 



1. That it is impossible to identify the objects of sense-perception 

 with those of self-consciousness. On this ground he argued the 

 impossibility of obtaining any knowledge of the real nature of 

 mind from mere chemical or pliysiological analysis, and the ab- 

 surdity involved in making the attempt. 



2. That for the purposes of this lecture, life is considered only 

 as far as it may be understood to include some degree of conscious- 

 ness; or, in other words, if in the proper sense of the word life 

 mny exist in some easels apart from all consciousness, the lecturer 

 is not concerned with it. 



