The

Necessity
of
Atheism
Percy Bysshe Shelley
1811 & 1813 (expanded) versions.
THE NECESSITY
OF
ATHEISM.
A CLOSE examination of the validity of the proofs add!ed to spport any
proposition" has ever #een allo$ed to #e the only sre $ay of attainin% trth" pon
the advanta%es of $hi!h it is nne!essary to des!ant& or 'no$led%e of the
existen!e of a (eity is a s#)e!t of s!h importan!e" that it !annot #e too mintely
investi%ated& in !onse*en!e of this !onvi!tion" $e pro!eed #riefly and impartially
to examine the proofs $hi!h have #een add!ed. +t is ne!essary first to !onsider
the natre of ,elief.
-hen a proposition is offered to the mind" it per!eives the a%reement or
disa%reement of the ideas of $hi!h it is !omposed. A per!eption of their a%reement
is termed #elief" many o#sta!les fre*ently prevent this per!eption from #ein%
immediate" these the mind attempts to remove in order that the per!eption may #e
distin!t. .he mind is a!tive in the investi%ation" in order to perfe!t the state of
per!eption $hi!h is passive& the investi%ation #ein% !onfsed $ith the per!eption
has ind!ed many falsely to ima%ine that the mind is a!tive in #elief" that #elief is
an a!t of volition" in !onse*en!e of $hi!h it may #e re%lated #y the mind&
prsin%" !ontinin% this mista'e they have atta!hed a de%ree of !riminality to
dis#elief of $hi!h in its natre it is in!apa#le& it is e*ally so of merit.
.he stren%th of #elief li'e that of every other passion is in proportion to the
de%rees of ex!itement.
.he de%rees of ex!itement are three.
.he senses are the sor!es of all 'no$led%e to the mind" !onse*ently their
eviden!e !laims the stron%est assent.
.he de!ision of the mind fonded pon or o$n experien!e derived from
these sor!es" !laims the next de%ree.
.he experien!e of others $hi!h addresses itself to the former one" o!!pies
the lo$est de%ree"//
Conse*ently no testimony !an #e admitted $hi!h is !ontrary to reason"
reason is fonded on the eviden!e of or senses.
Every proof may #e referred to one of these three divisions& $e are natrally
led to !onsider $hat ar%ments $e re!eive from ea!h of them to !onvin!e s of the
existen!e of a (eity.
1st. .he eviden!e of the senses.//+f the (eity shold appear to s" if he
shold !onvin!e or senses of his existen!e& this revelation $old ne!essarily
!ommand #elief&//.hose to $hom the (eity has ths appeared" have the stron%est
possi#le !onvi!tion of his existen!e.
0eason !laims the 1nd. pla!e" it is r%ed that man 'no$s that $hatever is"
mst either have had a #e%innin% or existed from all eternity" he also 'no$s that
$hatever is not eternal mst have had a !ase.//-here this is applied to the
existen!e of the niverse" it is ne!essary to prove that it $as !reated" ntil that is
!learly demonstrated" $e may reasona#ly sppose that it has endred from all
eternity.//+n a !ase $here t$o propositions are diametri!ally opposite" the mind
#elieves that $hi!h is less in!omprehensi#le" it is easier to sppose that the
2niverse has existed from all eternity" than to !on!eive a #ein% !apa#le of !reatin%
it& if the mind sin's #eneath the $ei%ht of one" is it an alleviation to in!rease the
intolera#ility of the #rden3//.he other ar%ment $hi!h is fonded pon a man4s
'no$led%e of his o$n existen!e stands ths.///A man 'no$s not only he no$ is" #t
that there $as a time $hen he did not exist" !onse*ently there mst have #een a
!ase.//,t $hat does this prove3 $e !an only infer from effe!ts !ases exa!tly
ade*ate to those effe!ts&///,t there !ertainly is a %enerative po$er $hi!h is
effe!ted #y parti!lar instrments& $e !annot prove that it is inherent in these
instrments" nor is the !ontrary hypothesis !apa#le of demonstration& $e admit that
the %enerative po$er is in!omprehensi#le" #t to sppose that the same effe!t is
prod!ed #y an eternal" omnis!ient Almi%hty ,ein%" leaves the !ase in the same
o#s!rity" #t renders it more in!omprehensi#le.
.he 3rd. and last de%ree of assent is !laimed #y .estimony///it is re*ired
that it shold not #e !ontrary to reason.///.he testimony that the (eity !onvin!es
the senses of men of his existen!e !an only #e admitted #y s" if or mind
!onsiders it less pro#a#le that these men shold have #een de!eived" then that the
(eity shold have appeared to them///or reason !an never admit the testimony of
men" $ho not only de!lare that they $ere eye/ $itnesses of mira!les #t that the
(eity $as irrational" for he !ommanded that he shold #e #elieved" he proposed
the hi%hest re$ards for faith" eternal pnishments for dis#elief///$e !an only
!ommand volntary a!tions" #elief is not an a!t of volition" the mind is even
passive" from this it is evident that $e have not sffi!ient testimony" or rather that
testimony is insffi!ient to prove the #ein% of a 5od" $e have #efore she$n that it
!annot #e ded!ed from reason"///they $ho have #een !onvin!ed #y the eviden!e
of the senses" they only !an #elieve it.
6rom this it is evident that havin% no proofs from any of the three sor!es of
!onvi!tion7 the mind !annot #elieve the existen!e of a 5od" it is also evident that as
#elief is a passion of the mind" no de%ree of !riminality !an #e atta!hed to dis#elief"
they only are reprehensi#le $ho $illin%ly ne%le!t to remove the false medim thro4
$hi!h their mind vie$s the s#)e!t.
+t is almost nne!essary to o#serve" that the %eneral 'no$led%e of the
defi!ien!y of s!h proof" !annot #e pre)di!ial to so!iety7 .rth has al$ays #een
fond to promote the #est interests of man'ind.///Every refle!tin% mind mst allo$
that there is no proof of the existen!e of a (eity. 8.E.(.
The Necessity of Atheism
#y 9er!y ,ysshe Shelley
FOREWORD
,: ;E<0: S. SAL.
As a #rief smmary of Shelley4s attitde to$ard the Christian reli%ion" + may
#e allo$ed to *ote from $hat + have $ritten else$here. =9er!y ,ysshe shelley"
9oet and 9ioneer (-atts & Co." 1>13?
@I regard Shelley's early 'atheism' and later Pantheism, as simply the
negative and the affirmative side of the same progressive but harmonious life-
creed. In his earlier years his disposition was towards a vehement denial of a
theology which he never ceased to detest; in his maturer years he made more
frequent reference to the great orld Spirit in whom he had from the first believed.
!e grew wiser in the e"ercise of his religious faith, but the faith was the same
throughout; there, was progression, but no essential change.@
.he se*en!e of his tho%ht on the S#)e!t may #e !learly tra!ed in several
of his essays. +n @.he <e!essity of Atheism"@ the tra!t $hi!h led to his explsion
from Oxford 2niversity" $e see Shelley in his yothfl mood of open denial and
defian!e. +t has #een s%%ested that the pamphlet $as ori%inally intended #y its
athor to #e a hoax& #t s!h an explanation entirely misapprehends not only the
fa!ts of the !ase" #t the !hara!ter of Shelley himself. .his $as lon% a%o pointed
ot #y (e %in!ey7 @;e affronted the armies of Christendom. ;ad it #een possi#le
for him to #e )estin%" it $old not have #een no#le& #t here" even in the most
monstros of his nderta'in%s // here" as al$ays" he $as perfe!tly sin!ere and
sin%le/minded.@ .hat this is tre may #e seen not only from the internal eviden!e of
@.he <e!essity@ itself" #t from the fa!t that the !on!lsion $hi!h" Shelley meant to
#e dra$n" from the dialo%e @A 0eftation of (eism"@ p#lished in 181A" $as that
there is no middle !orse #et$een a!!eptin% revealed reli%ion and dis#elievin% in
the existen!e of a deity // another $ay of statin% the ne!essity of atheism.
Shelley resem#led ,la'e in the !ontrast of feelin% $ith $hi!h he re%arded the
Christian reli%ion and its fonder. 6or the hman !hara!ter of Christ he !old feel
the deepest veneration" as may #e seen not only from the @Essay on Christianity"@
#t from the @Letter to Lord Ellen#oro%h@ (1811)" and also from the notes to
@;ellas@ and passa%es in that poem and in @9romethes 2n#ond@& #t he held that
the spirit of esta#lished Christianity $as $holly ot of harmony $ith that of Christ"
and that a similarity to Christ $as one of the *alities most detested #y the modern
Christian. .he do%mas of the Christian faith $ere al$ays repdiated #y him" and
there is no $arrant $hatever in his $ritin%s for the stran%e pretension that" had he
lived lon%er" his o#)e!tions to Christianity mi%ht in some $ay have #een over!ome.
+n !on!lsion" it may #e said that Shelley4s prose" if" not %reat in itself" is the
prose of a %reat poet" for $hi!h reason it possesses an interest that is not li'ely to
fail. +t is the 'ey to the ri%ht nderstandin% of his. intelle!t" as his poetry is the
hi%hest expression of his %enis.

The Necessity Of Atheism
=<O.E // .he <e!essity of Atheism $as p#lished #y Shelley in 1811. +n 1813 he printed a revised
and expanded version of it as one of the notes to his poem 8een Ba#. .he revised and
expanded version is the one here reprinted.?

There Is No God
This negation must be understood solely to affect a creative Deity. The hypothesis of a
pervading Spirit co-eternal with the universe remains unshaken.
A !lose examination of the validity of the proofs add!ed to spport any
proposition is the only se!re $ay of attainin% trth" on the advanta%es of $hi!h it is
nne!essary to des!ant7 or 'no$led%e of the existen!e" of a (eity is a s#)e!t of
s!h importan!e that it !annot #e too mintely investi%ated& in !onse*en!e of this
!onvi!tion $e pro!eed #riefly and impartially to examine the proofs $hi!h have
#een add!ed. +t is ne!essary first to !onsider the natre of #elief.
-hen a proposition is offered to the mind" +t per!eives the a%reement or
disa%reement of the ideas of $hi!h it is !omposed. A per!eption of their a%reement
is termed #elief. Bany o#sta!les fre*ently prevent this per!eption from #ein%
immediate& these the mind attempts to remove in order that the per!eption may #e
distin!t. .he mind is a!tive in the investi%ation in order to perfe!t the state of
per!eption of the relation $hi!h the !omponent ideas of the proposition #ear to
ea!h" $hi!h is passive& the investi%ation #ein% !onfsed $ith the per!eption has
ind!ed many falsely to ima%ine that the mind is a!tive in #elief. // that #elief is an
a!t of volition" // in !onse*en!e of $hi!h it may #e re%lated #y the mind.
9rsin%" !ontinin% this mista'e" they have atta!hed a de%ree of !riminality to
dis#elief& of $hi!h" in its natre" it is in!apa#le7 it is e*ally in!apa#le of merit.
,elief" then" is a passion" the stren%th of $hi!h" li'e every other passion" is in
pre!ise proportion to the de%rees of ex!itement.
.he de%rees of ex!itement are three.
.he senses are the sor!es of all 'no$led%e to the mind& !onse*ently their
eviden!e !laims the stron%est assent.
.he de!ision of the mind" fonded pon or o$n experien!e" derived from
these sor!es" !laims the next de%ree.
.he experien!e of others" $hi!h addresses itself to the former one" o!!pies
the lo$est de%ree.
(A %radated s!ale" on $hi!h shold #e mar'ed the !apa#ilities of
propositions to approa!h to the test of the senses" $old #e a )st #arometer of the
#elief $hi!h o%ht to #e atta!hed to them.)
Conse*ently no testimony !an #e admitted $hi!h is !ontrary to reason&
reason is fonded on the eviden!e of or senses.
Every proof may #e referred to one of these three divisions7 it is to #e
!onsidered $hat ar%ments $e re!eive from ea!h of them" $hi!h shold !onvin!e
s of the existen!e of a (eity.
1st" .he eviden!e of the senses. +f the (eity shold appear to s" if he shold
!onvin!e or senses of his existen!e" this revelation $old ne!essarily !ommand
#elief. .hose to $hom the (eity has ths appeared have the stron%est possi#le
!onvi!tion of his existen!e. ,t the 5od of .heolo%ians is in!apa#le of lo!al
visi#ility.
1d" 0eason. +t is r%ed that man 'no$s that $hatever is mst either have had
a #e%innin%" or have existed from all eternity" he also 'no$s that $hatever is not
eternal mst have had a !ase. -hen this reasonin% is applied to the niverse" it is
ne!essary to prove that it $as !reated7 ntil that is !learly demonstrated $e may
reasona#ly sppose that it has endred from all eternity. -e mst prove desi%n
#efore $e !an infer a desi%ner. .he only idea $hi!h $e !an form of !asation is
deriva#le from the !onstant !on)n!tion of o#)e!ts" and the !onse*ent inferen!e of
one from the other. +n a #ase $here t$o propositions are diametri!ally opposite" the
mind #elieves that $hi!h is least in!omprehensi#le& // it is easier to sppose that
the niverse has existed from all eternity than to !on!eive a #ein% #eyond its limits
!apa#le of !reatin% it7 if the mind sin's #eneath the $ei%ht of one" is it an alleviation
to in!rease the intolera#ility of the #rthen3
.he other ar%ment" $hi!h is fonded on a Ban4s 'no$led%e of his o$n
existen!e" stands ths. A man 'no$s not only that he no$ is" #t that on!e he $as
not& !onse*ently there mst have #een a !ase. ,t or idea of !asation is alone
deriva#le from the !onstant !on)n!tion of o#)e!ts and the !onse*ent +nferen!e of
one from the other& and" reasonin% experimentally" $e !an only infer from effe!ts
!ased ade*ate to those effe!ts. ,t there !ertainly is a %enerative po$er $hi!h is
effe!ted #y !ertain instrments7 $e !annot prove that it is inherent in these
instrments@ nor is the !ontrary hypothesis !apa#le of demonstration7 $e admit that
the %enerative po$er is in!omprehensi#le& #t to sppose that the same effe!t is
prod!ed #y an eternal" omnis!ient" omnipotent #ein% leaves the !ase in the same
o#s!rity" #t renders it more in!omprehensi#le.
3d" .estimony. +t is re*ired that testimony shold not #e !ontrary to reason.
.he testimony that the (eity !onvin!es the senses of men of his existen!e !an only
#e admitted #y s" if or mind !onsiders it less pro#a#le" that these men shold
have #een de!eived than that the (eity shold have appeared to them. Or reason
!an never admit the testimony of men" $ho not only de!lare that they $ere eye/
$itnesses of mira!les" #t that the (eity $as irrational& for he !ommanded that he
shold #e #elieved" he proposed the hi%hest re$ards for" faith" eternal pnishments
for dis#elief. -e !an only !ommand volntary a!tions& #elief is not an a!t of volition&
the mind is ever passive" or involntarily a!tive& from this it is evident that $e have
no sffi!ient testimony" or rather that testimony is insffi!ient to prove the #ein% of a
5od. +t has #een #efore sho$n that it !annot #e ded!ed from reason. .hey alone"
then" $ho have #een !onvin!ed #y the eviden!e of the senses !an #elieve it.
;en!e it is evident that" havin% no proofs from either of the three sor!es of
!onvi!tion" the mind !annot #elieve the existen!e of a !reative 5od7 it is also
evident that" as #elief is a passion of the mind" no de%ree of !riminality is atta!ha#le
to dis#elief& and that they only are reprehensi#le $ho ne%le!t to remove the false
medim thro%h $hi!h their mind vie$s any s#)e!t of dis!ssion. Every refle!tin%
mind mst a!'no$led%e that there is no proof of the existen!e of a (eity.
5od is an hypothesis" and" as s!h" stands in need of proof7 the ons
pro#andi rests on the theist. Sir +saa! <e$ton says7 ;ypotheses non fin%o" *i!*id
enim ex phaenomenis non ded!itr hypothesis" vo!anda est" et hypothesis vel
metaphysi!ae" vel physi!ae" vel *alitatm o!!ltarm" se me!hani!ae" in
philosophia lo!m non ha#ent. .o all proofs of the existen!e of a !reative 5od apply
this vala#le rle. -e see a variety of #odies possessin% a variety of po$ers7 $e
merely 'no$ their effe!ts& $e are in a estate of i%noran!e $ith respe!t to their
essen!es and !ases. .hese <e$ton !alls the phenomena of thin%s& #t the pride
of philosophy is n$illin% to admit its i%noran!e of their !ases. 6rom the
phenomena" $hi!h are the o#)e!ts of or attempt to infer a !ase" $hi!h $e !all
5od" and %ratitosly endo$ it $ith all ne%ative and !ontradi!tory *alities. 6rom
this hypothesis $e invent this %eneral name" to !on!eal or i%noran!e of !ases
and essen!es. .he #ein% !alled 5od #y no means ans$ers $ith the !onditions
pres!ri#ed #y <e$ton& it #ears every mar' of a veil $oven #y philosophi!al !on!eit"
to hide the i%noran!e of philosophers even from themselves. .hey #orro$ the
threads of its textre from the anthropomorphism of the vl%ar. -ords have #een
sed #y sophists for the same prposes" from the o!!lt *alities of the peripateti!s
to the effvim of ,oyle and the !rinities or ne#lae of ;ers!hel. 5od is
represented as infinite" eternal" in!omprehensi#le& he is !ontained nder every
predi!ate in non that the lo%i! of i%noran!e !old fa#ri!ate. Even his $orshippers
allo$ that it is impossi#le to form any idea of him7 they ex!laim $ith the 6ren!h
poet"
Pour dire ce qu'il est, il faut etre lui-meme.
Lord ,a!on says that atheism leaves to man reason" philosophy" natral
piety" la$s" reptation" and everythin% that !an serve to !ond!t him to virte& #t
sperstition destroys all these" and ere!ts itself into a tyranny over the
nderstandin%s of men7 hen!e atheism never distr#s the %overnment" #t renders
man more !lear/ si%hted" sin!e he sees nothin% #eyond the #ondaries of the
present life. // ,a!on4s Boral Essays.
The =,e%innin% here" and to the para%raph endin% $ith Systeme de la
<atre"@ Shelley $rote in 6ren!h. A free translation has #een s#stitted.? first
theology of man made him first fear and adore the elements themselves, the gross
and material objects of nature; he next paid homage to the agents controlling the
elements, loer genies, heroes or men gifted ith great qualities. !y force of
reflection he sought to simplify things by submitting all nature to a single agent,
spirit, or universal soul, hich, gave movement to nature and all its branches.
"ounting from cause to cause, mortal man has ended by seeing nothing; and it is
in this obscurity that he has placed his #od; it is in this dar$some abyss that his
uneasy imagination has alays labored to fabricate chimeras, hich ill continue
to afflict him until his $noledge of nature chases these phantoms hich he has
alays so adored.
%f e ish to explain our ideas of the &ivinity e shall be obliged to admit
that, by the ord #od, man has never been able to designate but the most hidden,
the most distant and the most un$non cause of the effects hich he sa; he has
made use of his ord only hen the play of natural and $non causes ceased to
be visible to him; as soon as he lost the thread of these causes, or hen his mind
could no longer follo the chain, he cut the difficulty and ended his researches by
calling #od the last of the causes, that is to say, that hich is beyond all causes
that he $ne; thus he but assigned a vague denomination to an un$non cause, at
hich his la'iness or the limits of his $noledge forced him to stop. (very time e
say that #od is the author of some phenomenon, that signifies that e are ignorant
of ho such a phenomenon as able to operate by the aid of forces or causes that
e $no in nature. %t is thus that the generality of man$ind, hose lot is ignorance,
attributes to the &ivinity, not only the unusual effects hich stri$e them, but
moreover the most simple events, of hich the causes are the most simple to
understand by homever is able to study them. %n a ord, man has alays
respected un$non causes, surprising effects that his ignorance $ept him from
unraveling. %t as on this debris of nature that man raised the imaginary colossus of
the &ivinity.
%f ignorance of nature gave birth to gods, $noledge of nature is made for
their destruction. %n proportion as man taught himself, his strength and his
resources augmented ith his $noledge; science, the arts, industry, furnished him
assistance; experience reassured him or procured for him means of resistance to
the efforts of many causes hich ceased to alarm as soon as they became
understood. %n a ord, his terrors dissipated in the same proportion as his mind
became enlightened. The educated man ceases to be superstitious.
%t is only by hearsay )by ord of mouth passed don from generation to
generation* that hole peoples adore the #od of their fathers and of their priests+
authority, confidence, submission and custom ith them ta$e the place of
conviction or of proofs+ they prostrate themselves and pray, because their fathers
taught them to prostrate themselves and pray+ but hy did their fathers fall on their
$nees, That is because, in primitive times, their legislators and their guides made it
their duty. -.dore and believe,- they said, -the gods hom you cannot understand;
have confidence in our profound isdom; e $no more than you about &ivinity.-
!ut hy should % come to you, %t is because #od illed it thus; it is because #od
ill punish you if you dare resist. !ut this #od, is not he, then, the thing in
question, /oever, man has alays traveled in this vicious circle; his slothful mind
has alays made him find it easier to accept the judgment of others. .ll religious
nations are founded solely on authority; all the religions of the orld forbid
examination and do not ant one to reason; authority ants one to believe in #od;
this #od is himself founded only on the authority of a fe men ho pretend to $no
him, and to come in his name and announce him on earth. . #od made by man
undoubtedly has need of man to ma$e himself $non to man.
0hould it not, then, be for the priests, the inspired, the metaphysicians that
should be reserved the conviction of the existence of a #od, hich they,
nevertheless, say is so necessary for all man$ind, !ut 1an you find any harmony
in the theological opinions of the different inspired ones or thin$ers scattered over
the earth, They themselves, ho ma$e a profession of adoring the same #od, are
they in .greement, .re they content ith the proofs that their colleagues bring of
his existence, &o they subscribe unanimously to the ideas they present on nature,
on his conduct, on the manner of understanding his pretended oracles, %s there a
country on earth here the science of #od is really perfect, /as this science
anyhere ta$en the consistency and uniformity that e the see the science of man
assume, even in the most futile crafts, the most despised trades. These ords mind
immateriality, creation, predestination and grace; this mass of subtle distinctions
ith hich theology to everyhere filled; these so ingenious inventions, imagined
by thin$ers ho have succeeded one another for so many centuries, have only,
alas2 confused things all the more, and never has man's most necessary science,
up to this time acquired the slightest fixity. 3or thousands of years the la'y
dreamers have perpetually relieved one another to meditate on the &ivinity, to
divine his secret ill, to invent the proper hypothesis to develop this important
enigma. Their slight success has not discouraged the theological vanity+ one
alays spea$s of #od+ one has his throat cut for #od+ and this sublime being still
remains the most un$non and the most discussed.
"an ould have been too happy, if, limiting himself to the visible objects
hich interested him, he had employed, to perfect his real sciences, his las, his
morals, his education, one-half the efforts he has put into his researches on the
&ivinity. /e ould have been still iser and still more fortunate if he had been
satisfied to let his jobless guides quarrel among themselves, sounding depths
capable of rendering them di''y, ithout himself mixing in their senseless disputes.
!ut it is the essence of ignorance to attach importance to that hich it does not
understand. /uman vanity is so constituted that it stiffens before difficulties. The
more an object conceals itself from our eyes, the greater the effort e ma$e to
sei'e it, because it pric$s our pride, it excites our curiosity and it appears
interesting. %n fighting for his #od everyone, in fact, fights only for the interests of
his on vanity, hich, of all the passions produced by the mal-organi'ation of
society, is the quic$est to ta$e offense, and the most capable of committing the
greatest follies.
%f, leaving for a moment the annoying idea that theology gives of a capricious
#od, hose partial and despotic decrees decide the fate of man$ind, e ish to fix
our eyes only on the pretended goodness, hich all men, even trembling before
this #od, agree is ascribing to him, if e allo him the purpose that is lent him of
having or$ed only for his on glory, of exacting the homage of intelligent beings;
of see$ing only in his or$s the ell-being of man$ind; ho reconcile these vies
and these dispositions ith the ignorance truly invincible in hich this #od, so
glorious and so good, leaves the majority of man$ind in regard to #od himself, %f
#od ishes to be $non, cherished, than$ed, hy does he not sho himself under
his favorable features to all these intelligent beings by hom he ishes to be loved
and adored, 4hy not manifest himself to the hole earth in an unequivocal
manner, much more capable of convincing us than these private revelations hich
seem to accuse the &ivinity of an annoying partiality for some of his creatures, The
all-poerful, should he not heave more convincing means by hich to sho man
than these ridiculous metamorphoses, these pretended incarnations, hich are
attested by riters so little in agreement among themselves, %n place of so many
miracles, invented to prove the divine mission of so many legislators revered by the
different people of the orld, the 0overeign of these spirits, could he not convince
the human mind in an instant of the things he ished to ma$e $non to it, %nstead
of hanging the sun in the vault of the firmament, instead of scattering stars ithout
order, and the constellations hich fill space, ould it not have been more in
conformity ith the vies of a #od so jealous of his glory and so ell-intentioned
for man$ind, to rite, in a manner not subject to dispute, his name, his attributes,
his permanent ishes in ineffaceable characters, equally understandable to all the
inhabitants of the earth, 5o one ould then be able to doubt the existence of #od,
of his clear ill, of his visible intentions. 6nder the eyes of this so terrible #od no
one ould have the audacity to violate his commands, no mortal ould dare ris$
attracting his anger+ finally, no man ould have the effrontery to impose on his
name or to interpret his ill according to his on fancy.
%n fact, even hile admitting the existence of the theological #od, and the
reality of his so discordant attributes hich they impute to him, one can conclude
nothing to authori'e the conduct or the cult hich one is prescribed to render him.
Theology is truly the sieve of the &anaides. !y dint of contradictory qualities and
ha'arded assertions it has, that is to say, so handicapped its #od that it has made
it impossible for him to act. %f he is infinitely good, hat reason should e have to
fear him, %f he is infinitely ise, hy should e have doubts concerning our future,
%f he $nos all, hy arn him of our needs and fatigue him ith our prayers, %f he
is everyhere, hy erect temples to him, %f he is just, hy fear that he ill punish
the creatures that he has, filled ith ea$nesses, %f grace does everything for
them, hat reason ould he have for recompensing them, %f he is all-poerful,
ho offend him, ho resist him, %f he is reasonable, ho can he be angry at the
blind, to hom he has given the liberty of being unreasonable, %f he is immovable,
by hat right do e pretend to ma$e him change his decrees, %f he is
inconceivable, hy occupy ourselves ith him, %3 /( /.0 0P78(5, 4/9 %0 T/(
65%:(;0( 57T 175:%51(&, %f the $noledge of a #od is the most necessary,
hy is it not the most evident and the clearest. // Systame de la Nature. London,
!".
.he enli%htened and #enevolent 9liny ths 9#li!ly professes himself an
atheist" // <uapropter effigiem &el formamque quaerere imbecillitatis humanae
reor. <uisquis est &eus )si modo est alius* et quacunque in parte, totus est gensus,
totus est visus, totus auditus, totus animae, totus animi, totus sul. ... %mperfectae
vero in homine naturae praecipua solatia, ne deum quidem omnia. 5amque nec
sibi protest mortem consciscere, si velit, quod homini dedit optimum in tantis vitae
poenis; nee mortales aeternitate donare, aut revocare defunctos; nec facere ut qui
vixit non vixerit, qui honores gessit non gesserit, nullumque habere %n praeteritum
ius praeterquam oblivionts, atque )ut. facetis quoque argumentis societas haec
cum, deo compuletur* ut bis dena viginti non sint, et multa similiter efficere non
posse. -- Per quaedeclaratur haud dubie naturae potentiam id quoque ease quod
&eum vocamus. // #lin. Nat. $ist. cap. de Deo.
.he !onsistent <e$tonian is ne!essarily an atheist. See Sir -. (rmmond4s
A!ademi!al 8estions" !hap. iii. // Sir -. seems to !onsider the atheism to $hi!h it
leads as a sffi!ient presmption of the falsehood of the system of %ravitation& #t
srely it is more !onsistent $ith the %ood faith of philosophy to admit a ded!tion
from fa!ts than an hypothesis in!apa#le of proof" altho%h it mi%ht militate" $ith the
o#stinate pre!on!eptions of the mo#. ;ad this athor" instead of invei%hin% a%ainst
the %ilt and a#srdity of atheism" demonstrated its falsehood" his !ond!t $old
have" #een more sited to the modesty of the s'epti! and the toleration of the
philosopher.
7mnia enim per &ei potentiam facta aunt+ imo quia naturae potentia nulla est
nisi ipsa &ei potentia. 1ertum est nos eatenus &ei potentiam non intelligere,
quatenus causas naturales ignoramus; adeoque stulte ad eandem &ei potentism
recurritur, quando rei alicuius causam naturalem, sive est, ipsam &ei potentiam
ignoramusd // Spino%a, Tract. Theologico-#ol. chap . #. &.
On Life
Life and the world, or whatever we call that which we are and feel, is an astonishing
thing. The mist of familiarity obscures from us the wonder of our being. 'e are struck with
admiration at some of its transient modifications, but it is itself the great miracle. 'hat are
changes of empires, the wreck of dynasties, with the opinions which support them( what is
the birth and the e)tinction of religious and of political systems, to life* 'hat are the
revolutions of the globe which we inhabit, and the operations of the elements of which it is
composed, compared with life* 'hat is the universe of stars, and suns, of which this
inhabited earth is one, and their motions, and their destiny, compared with life* Life, the
great miracle, we admire not because it is so miraculous. +t is well that we are thus shielded
by the familiarity of what is at once so certain and so unfathomable, from an astonishment
which would otherwise absorb and overawe the functions of that which is its ob,ect.
+f any artist" + do not say had exe!ted" #t had merely !on!eived in his mind
the system of the sn" and the stars" and planets" they not existin%" and had
painted to s in $ords" or pon !anvas" the spe!ta!le no$ afforded #y the ni%htly
!ope of heaven" and illstrated it #y the $isdom of astronomy" %reat $old #e or
admiration. Or had he ima%ined the s!enery of this earth" the montains" the seas"
and the rivers& the %rass" and the flo$ers" and the variety of the forms and masses
of the leaves of the $oods" and the !olors $hi!h attend the settin% and the risin%
sn" and the hes of the atmosphere" tr#id or serene" these thin%s not #efore
existin%" trly $e shold have #een astonished" and it $old not have #een a vain
#oast to have said of s!h a man" @<on merita nome di !reatore" se non +ddio ed il
9oeta.@ ,t ho$ these thin%s are loo'ed on $ith little $onder" and to #e !ons!ios
of them $ith intense deli%ht is esteemed to #e the distin%ishin% mar' of a refined
and extraordinary person. .he mltitde of men !are not for them. +t is ths $ith
Life // that $hi!h in!ldes all.
-hat is life3 .ho%hts and feelin%s arise" $ith or $ithot" or $ill" and $e
employ $ords to express them. -e are #orn" and or #irth is nremem#ered" and
or infan!y remem#ered #t in fra%ments& $e live on" and in livin% $e lose the
apprehension of life. ;o$ vain is it to thin' that $ords !an penetrate the mystery of
or #ein%C 0i%htly sed they may ma'e evident or i%noran!e to orselves& and this
is m!h. 6or $hat are $e3 -hen!e do $e !ome3 and $hither do $e %o3 +s #irth
the !ommen!ement" is death the !on!lsion of or #ein%3 -hat is #irth and death3
.he most refined a#stra!tions of lo%i! !ond!t to a vie$ of life" $hi!h" tho%h
startlin% to the apprehension" is" in fa!t" that $hi!h the ha#ital sense of its
repeated !om#inations has extin%ished in s. +t strips" as it $ere" the painted
!rtain from this s!ene of thin%s. + !onfess that + am one of those $ho am na#le to
refse my assent to the !on!lsion of those philosophers $ho assert that nothin%
exists #t as it is per!eived.
+t is a de!ision a%ainst $hi!h all or persasions str%%le" and $e mst #e
lon% !onvi!ted #efore $e !an #e !onvin!ed that the solid niverse of external thin%s
is @s!h stff as dreams are made of.@ .he sho!'in% a#srdities of the poplar
philosophy of mind and matter" its fatal !onse*en!es in morals" and their violent
do%matism !on!ernin% the sor!e of all thin%s" had early !ond!ted me to
materialism. .his materialism is a sed!in% system to yon% and sperfi!ial minds.
+t allo$s its dis!iples to tal'" and dispenses them from thin'in%. ,t + $as
dis!ontented $ith s!h a vie$ of thin%s as it afforded& man is a #ein% of hi%h
aspirations" @loo'in% #oth #efore and after"@ $hose @tho%hts $ander thro%h
eternity"@ dis!laimin% allian!e $ith transien!e and de!ay7 in!apa#le of ima%inin% to
himself annihilation& existin% #t in the ftre and the past& #ein%" not $hat he is"
#t $hat he has #een and all #e. -hatever may #e his tre and final destination"
there is a spirit $ithin him at enmity $ith nothin%ness and dissoltion. .his is the
!hara!ter of all life and #ein%. Ea!h is at on!e the !enter and the !ir!mferen!e& the
point to $hi!h all thin%s are referred" and the line in $hi!h all thin%s are !ontained.
S!h !ontemplations as these" materialism and the poplar philosophy of mind and
matter ali'e they are only !onsistent $ith the intelle!tal system.
+t is a#srd to enter into a lon% re!apitlation of ar%ments sffi!iently familiar
to those in*irin% minds" $hom alone a $riter on a#strse s#)e!ts !an #e
!on!eived to address. 9erhaps the most !lear and vi%oros statement of the
intelle!tal system is to #e fond in Sir -illiam (rmmond4s A!ademi!al 8estions.
After s!h an exposition" it $old #e idle to translate into other $ords $hat !old
only lose its ener%y and fitness #y the !han%e. Examined point #y point" and $ord
#y $ord" the most dis!riminatin% intelle!ts have #een a#le to dis!ern no train of
tho%hts in the pro!ess of reasonin%" $hi!h does not !ond!t inevita#ly to the
!on!lsion $hi!h has #een stated.
-hat follo$s from the admission3 +t esta#lishes no ne$ trth" it %ives s no
additional insi%ht into or hidden natre" neither its a!tion nor itself7 9hilosophy"
impatient as it may #e to #ild" has m!h $or' yet remainin% as pioneer for the
over%ro$th of a%es. it ma'es one step to$ards this o#)e!t& it destroys error" and the
roots of error. +t leaves" $hat it is too often the dty of the reformer in politi!al and
ethi!al *estions to leave" a va!an!y. it red!es the mind to that freedom in $hi!h it
$old have a!ted" #t for the misse of $ords and si%ns" the instrments of its o$n
!reation. ,y si%ns" + $old #e nderstood in a $ide sense" in!ldin% $hat is
properly meant #y that term" and $hat + pe!liarly mean. +n this latter sense" almost
all familiar o#)e!ts are si%ns" standin%" not for themselves" #t for others" in their
!apa!ity of s%%estin% one tho%ht $hi!h shall lead to a train of tho%hts. Or
$hole life is ths an ed!ation of error.
Let s re!olle!t or sensations as !hildren. -hat a distin!t and intense
apprehension had $e of the $orld and of orselvesC Bany of the Cir!mstan!es of
so!ial life $ere then important to s $hi!h are no$ no lon%er so. ,t that is not the
point of !omparison on $hi!h + mean to insist. -e less ha#itally distin%ished all
that $e sa$ and felt" from orselves. .hey seemed" as it $ere" to !onstitte one
mass. .here are some persons $ho" in this respe!t" are al$ays !hildren. .hose
$ho are s#)e!t to the state !alled reverie" feel as if their natre $ere dissolved into
the srrondin% niverse" or as if the srrondin% niverse $ere a#sor#ed into their
#ein%. .hey are !ons!ios of no distin!tion. And these are states $hi!h pre!ede" or
a!!ompany" or follo$ an nsally intense and vivid apprehension of life. As men
%ro$ p this po$er !ommonly de!ays" and they #e!ome me!hani!al and ha#ital
a%ents. .hs feelin%s and then reasonin% are the !om#ined reslt of a mltitde of
entan%led tho%hts" and of a series of $hat are !alled impressions" planted #y
reiteration.
.he vie$ of life presented #y the most refined ded!tions of the intelle!tal
philosophy" to that of nity. <othin% exists #t as it is per!eived. .he differen!e is
merely nominal #et$een those t$o !lasses of tho%ht $hi!h are distin%ished #y
the names of ideas and of external o#)e!ts. 9rsin% the same thread of reasonin%"
the existen!e of distin!t individal minds" similar to that $hi!h is employed in no$
*estionin% its o$n natre" is li'e$ise fond to #e a delsion. .he $ords" +" yo"
they" are not si%ns of any a!tal differen!e s#sistin% #et$een the assem#la%e of
tho%hts ths indi!ated" #t are merely mar's employed to denote the different
modifi!ations of the one mind.
Let it not #e spposed that this do!trine !ond!ts the monstros presmption
that +" the person $ho no$ $rite and thin'" am that one mind. + am #t a portion of
it. .he $ords +" and yo" and they are %rammati!al devi!es invented simply for
arran%ement" and totally devoid of the intense and ex!lsive sense sally
atta!hed to them. +t is diffi!lt to find terms ade*ate to express so s#tle a
!on!eption as that to $hi!h the +ntelle!tal 9hilosophy has !ond!ted s. -e are
on that ver%e $here $ords a#andon s" and $hat $onder if $e %ro$ diDDy to loo'
do$n the dar' a#yss of ho$ little $e 'no$C
.he relations of thin%s remain n!han%ed" #y $hatever system. ,y the $ord
thin%s is to #e nderstood any o#)e!t of tho%ht" that is" any tho%ht pon $hi!h
any other tho%ht is employed" $ith an apprehension of distin!tion. .he relations of
these remain n!han%ed& and s!h is the material of or 'no$led%e.
-hat is the !ase of life3 .hat is" ho$ $as it prod!ed" or $hat a%en!ies
distin!t from life have a!ted or a!t pon life3 All re!orded %enerations of man'ind
have $earily #sied themselves in inventin% ans$ers to this *estion& and the
reslt has #een // 0eli%ion. :et that the #asis of all thin%s !annot #e" as the poplar
philosophy alle%es" mind" is sffi!iently evident. Bind" as far as $e have any
experien!e of its properties // and #eyond that experien!e ho$ vain is ar%mentC //
!annot !reate" it !an only per!eive. +t is said also to #e the !ase. ,t !ase is only
a $ord expressin% a !ertain state of the hman mind $ith re%ard to the manner in
$hi!h t$o tho%hts are apprehended to #e related to ea!h other. +f anyone desires
to 'no$ ho$ nsatisfa!torily the poplar philosophy employs itself pon this %reat
*estion" they need only impartially refle!t pon the manner in $hi!h tho%hts
develop themselves in their minds. +t is infinitely impro#a#le that the !ase of mind"
that is" of existen!e" is similar to mind.

On A Future State
+t has been the persuasion of an immense ma,ority of human beings in all ages and
nations that we continue to live after death -- that apparent termination of all the functions of
sensitive and intellectual e)istence. Nor has mankind been contented with supposing that
species of e)istence which some philosophers have asserted( namely, the resolution of the
component parts of the mechanism of a living being into its elements, and the impossibility of
the minutest particle of these sustaining the smallest diminution. They have clung to the idea
that sensibility and thought, which they have distinguished from the ob,ects of it, under the
several names of spirit and matter, is, in its own nature, less susceptible of division and
decay, and that, when the body is resolved into its elements, the principle which animated it
will remain perpetual and unchanged. Some philosophers -- and those to whom we are
indebted for the most stupendous discoveries in physical science -- suppose, on the other
hand, that intelligence is the mere result of certain combinations among the particles of its
ob,ects( and those among them who believe that we live after death, recur to the interposition
of a supernatural power, which shall overcome the tendency inherent in all material
combinations, to dissipate and be absorbed into other forms.
Let s tra!e the reasonin% $hi!h in one and the other have !ond!ted to
these t$o opinions" and endeavor to dis!over $hat $e o%ht to thin' on a *estion
of s!h momentos interest. Let s analyDe the ideas and feelin%s $hi!h !onstitte
the !ontendin% #eliefs" and $at!hflly esta#lish a dis!rimination #et$een $ords and
tho%hts. Let s #rin% the *estion to the test of experien!e and fa!t& and as'
orselves" !onsiderin% or natre in its entire extent" $hat li%ht $e derive from a
sstained and !omprehensive vie$ of its !omponent parts" $hi!h may ena#le s to
assert" $ith !ertainty"" that $e do or do not live after death.
.he examination of this s#)e!t re*ires that it shold #e stripped of all those
a!!essory topi!s $hi!h adhere to it in the !ommon opinion of men. .he existen!e of
a 5od" and a ftre state of re$ards and pnishments are totally forei%n to the
s#)e!t. +f it #e proved that the $orld is rled #y a (ivine 9o$er" no inferen!e
ne!essarily !an #e dra$n from that !ir!mstan!e in favor of a ftre state. +t has
#een asserted" indeed" that as %oodness and )sti!e are to #e nm#ered amon%
the attri#tes of the (eity" he $ill ndo#tedly !ompensate the virtos $ho sffer
drin% life" and that he $ill ma'e every sensitive #ein%" $ho does not deserve
pnishment" happy forever. ,t this vie$ of the s#)e!t" $hi!h it $old #e tedios
as $ell as sperflos to develop and expose" satisfies no person" and !ts the
'not $hi!h $e no$ see' to ntie. Boreover" shold it #e proved" on the other hand"
that the mysterios prin!iple $hi!h re%lates the pro!eedin%s of the niverse" to
neither intelli%ent nor sensitive" yet it is not an in!onsisten!y to sppose at the
same time" that the animatin% po$er srvives the #ody $hi!h it has animated" #y
la$s as independent of any spernatral a%ent as those thro%h $hi!h it first
#e!ame nited $ith it. <or" if a ftre state #e !learly proved" does it follo$ that it
$ill #e a state of pnishment or re$ard.
,y the $ord death" $e express that !ondition in $hi!h natres resem#lin%
orselves apparently !ease to #e that $hi!h they are. -e no lon%er hear them
spea'" nor see them move. +f they have sensations and apprehensions" $e no
lon%er parti!ipate in them. -e 'no$ no more than that those external or%ans" and
all that fine textre of material frame" $ithot $hi!h $e have no experien!e that life
or tho%ht !an s#sist" are dissolved and s!attered a#road. .he #ody is pla!ed
nder the earth" and after a !ertain period there remains no vesti%e even of its
form. .his is that !ontemplation of inexhasti#le melan!holy" $hose shado$
e!lipses the #ri%htness of the $orld. .he !ommon o#server is str!' $ith de)e!tion
of the spe!ta!le. ;e !ontends in vain a%ainst the persasion of the %rave" that the
dead indeed !ease to #e. .he !orpse at his feet is propheti! of his o$n destiny.
.hose $ho have pre!eded him" and $hose voi!e $as deli%htfl to his ear& $hose
to!h met his li'e s$eet and s#tle fire7 $hose aspe!t spread a visionary li%ht pon
his path // these he !annot meet a%ain. .he or%ans of sense are destroyed" and the
intelle!tal operations dependent on them have perished $ith their sor!es. ;o$
!an a !orpse see or feel3 its eyes are eaten ot" and its heart is #la!' and $ithot
motion. -hat inter!orse !an t$o heaps of ptrid Clay and !rm#lin% #ones hold
to%ether3 -hen yo !an dis!over $here the fresh !olors of the faded flo$er a#ide"
or the msi! of the #ro'en lyre see' life amon% the dead. S!h are the anxios and
fearfl !ontemplations of the !ommon o#server" tho%h the poplar reli%ion often
prevents him from !onfessin% them even to himself.
.he natral philosopher" in addition to the sensations !ommon to all men
inspired #y the event of death" #elieves that he sees $ith more !ertainty that it is
attended $ith the annihilation of sentiment and tho%ht. ;e o#serves the mental
po$ers in!rease and fade $ith those of the #ody" and even a!!ommodate
themselves to the most transitory !han%es of or physi!al natre. Sleep sspends
many of the fa!lties of the vital and intelle!tal prin!iple& drn'enness and disease
$ill either temporarily or permanently deran%e them. Badness or idio!y may tterly
extin%ish the most ex!ellent and deli!ate of those po$ers. +n old a%e the mind
%radally $ithers& and as it %re$ and $as stren%thened $ith the #ody" so does it
to%ether $ith the #ody sin' into de!repitde. Assredly these are !onvin!in%
eviden!es that so soon as the or%ans of the #ody are s#)e!ted to the la$s of
inanimate matter" sensation" and per!eption" and apprehension" are at an end. +t is
pro#a#le that $hat $e !all tho%ht is not an a!tal #ein%" #t no more than the
relation #et$een !ertain parts of that infinitely varied mass" of $hi!h the rest of the
niverse is !omposed" and $hi!h !eases to exist so soon as those parts !han%e
their position $ith re%ard to ea!h other. .hs !olor" and sond" and taste" and odor
exist only relatively. ,t let tho%ht #e !onsidered only as some pe!liar s#stan!e"
$hi!h permeates" and is the !ase of" the animation of livin% #ein%s. -hy shold
that s#stan!e #e assmed to #e somethin% essentially distin!t from all others" and
exempt from s#)e!tion to those la$s from $hi!h no other s#stan!e is exempt3 +t
differs" indeed" from all other s#stan!es" as ele!tri!ity" and li%ht" and ma%netism"
and the !onstitent parts of air and earth" severally differ from all others. Ea!h of
these is s#)e!t to !han%e and de!ay" and to !onversion into other forms. :et the
differen!e #et$een li%ht and earth is s!ar!ely %reater than that $hi!h exists
#et$een life" or tho%ht" and fire. .he differen!e #et$een the t$o former $as never
alle%ed as an ar%ment for eternal permanen!e of either" in that form nder $hi!h
they first mi%ht offer themselves to or noti!e. -hy shold the differen!e #et$een
the t$o latter s#stan!es #e an ar%ment for the prolon%ation of the existen!e of
one and not the other" $hen the existen!e of #oth has arrived at their apparent
termination3 .o say that fire exists $ithot manifestin% any of the properties of fire"
s!h as li%ht" heat" et!." or that the 9rin!iple of life exists $ithot !ons!iosness" or
memory" or desire" or motive" is to resi%n" #y an a$'$ard distortion of lan%a%e" the
affirmative of the dispte. .o say that the prin!iple of life may exist in distri#tion
amon% varios forms" is to assert $hat !annot #e proved to #e either tre or false"
#t $hi!h" $ere it tre" annihilates all hope of existen!e after death" in any sense in
$hi!h that event !an #elon% to the hopes and fears of men. Sppose" ho$ever" that
the intelle!tal and vital prin!iple differs in the most mar'ed and essential manner
from all other 'no$n s#stan!es& that they have all some resem#lan!e #et$een
themselves $hi!h it in no de%ree parti!ipates. +n $hat manner !an this !on!ession
#e made an ar%ment for its imperisha#illity3 All that $e see or 'no$ perishes and
is !han%ed. Life and tho%ht differ indeed from everythin% else. ,t that it srvives
that period" #eyond $hi!h $e have no experien!e of its existen!e" s!h distin!tion
and dissimilarity affords no shado$ of proof" and nothin% #t or o$n desires !old
have led s to !on)e!tre or ima%ine.
;ave $e existed #efore #irth3 +t is diffi!lt to !on!eive the possi#ility of this.
.here is" in the %enerative prin!iple of ea!h animal and plant" a po$er $hi!h
!onverts the s#stan!es homo%eneos $ith itself. .hat is" the relations #et$een
!ertain elementary parti!les of matter nder%o a !han%e" and s#mit to ne$
!om#inations. 6or $hen $e se $ords7 prin!iple" po$er" !ase" et!." $e mean to
express no real #ein%" #t only to !lass nder those terms a !ertain series of
!oexistin% phenomena& #t let it #e spposed that this prin!iple is a !ertain
s#stan!e $hi!h es!apes the o#servation of the !hemist and anatomist. +t !ertainly
may #e& tho%ht it is sffi!iently nphilosophi!al to alle%e the possi#ility of an
opinion as a proof of its trth. (oes it see" hear" feel" #efore its !om#ination $ith
those or%ans on $hi!h sensation depends3 (oes it reason" ima%ine" apprehend"
$ithot those ideas $hi!h sensation alone !an !ommni!ate3 +f $e have not
existed #efore #irth& +f" at the period $hen the parts of or natre on $hi!h tho%ht
and life depend" seem to #e $oven to%ether& +f there are no reasons to sppose
that $e have existed #efore that period at $hi!h or existen!e apparently
!ommen!es" then there are no %ronds for spposin% that $e shall !ontine to
exist after or existen!e has apparently !eased. So far as tho%ht and life is
!on!erned" the same $ill ta'e pla!e $ith re%ard to s" individally !onsidered" after
death" as had ta'en pla!e #efore or #irth.
+t is said that it is possi#le that $e shold !ontine to exist in some mode
totally in!on!eiva#le to s at present. .his is a most nreasona#le presmption. +t
!asts on the adherents of annihilation the #rden of provin% the ne%ative of a
*estion" the affirmative of $hi!h is not spported #y a sin%le ar%ment" and $hi!h"
#y its very natre" lies #eyond the experien!e of the hman nderstandin%. +t is
sffi!iently easy. indeed" to form any proposition" !on!ernin% $hi!h $e are i%norant"
)st not so a#srd as not to #e !ontradi!tory in itself" and defy reftation. .he
possi#ility of $hatever enters into the $ildest ima%ination to !on!eive is ths
trimphantly vindi!ated. ,t it is eno%h that s!h assertions shold #e either
!ontradi!tory to the 'no$n la$s of natre" or ex!eed the limits of or experien!e"
that their falla!y or irrelevan!y to or !onsideration shold #e demonstrated. .hey
persade" indeed" only those $ho desire to #e persaded.
.his desire to #e forever as $e are& the rel!tan!e to a violent and
nexperien!ed !han%e" $hi!h is !ommon to all the animated and inanimate
!om#inations of the niverse" is" indeed" the se!ret persasion $hi!h has %iven
#irth to the opinions of a ftre state.