the unseen world and other essays-第6章

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As　far　as　the　visible　universe　is　concerned；　we　do　not　find　in　it　any　evidence　of　immortality　or　of　permanence　of　any　sort；　unless　it　be　in　the　sum　of　potential　and　kinetic　energies　on　the　persistency　of　which　depends　our　principle　of　continuity。　In　ordinary　language　〃the　stars　in　their　courses〃　serve　as　symbols　of　permanence；　yet　we　have　found　reason　to　regard　them　as　but　temporary　phenomena。　So；　in　the　language　of　our　authors；　〃if　we　take　the　individual　man；　we　find　that　he　lives　his　short　tale　of　years；　and　that　then　the　visible　machinery　which　connects　him　with　the　past；　as　well　as　that　which　enables　him　to　act　in　the　present；　falls　into　ruin　and　is　brought　to　an　end。　If　any　germ　or　potentiality　remains；　it　is　certainly　not　connected　with　the　visible　order　of　things。〃　In　like　manner　our　race　is　pretty　sure　to　come　to　an　end　long　before　the　destruction　of　the　planet　from　which　it　now　gets　its　sustenance。　And　in　our　authors　opinion　even　the　universe　will　by　and　by　become　〃old　and　effete；　no　less　truly　than　the　individual：　it　is　a　glorious　garment　this　visible　universe；　but　not　an　immortal　one；　we　must　look　elsewhere　if　we　are　to　be　clothed　with　immortality　as　with　a　garment。〃

It　is　at　this　point　that　our　authors　call　attention　to　〃the　apparently　wasteful　character　of　the　arrangements　of　the　visible　universe。〃　The　fact　is　one　which　we　have　already　sufficiently　described；　but　we　shall　do　well　to　quote　the　words　in　which　our　authors　recur　to　it：　〃All　but　a　very　small　portion　of　the　sun's　heat　goes　day　by　day　into　what　we　call　empty　space；　and　it　is　only　this　very　small　remainder　that　is　made　use　of　by　the　various　planets　for　purposes　of　their　own。　Can　anything　be　more　perplexing　than　this　seemingly　frightful　expenditure　of　the　very　life　and　essence　of　the　system？　That　this　vast　store　of　high…class　energy　should　be　doing　nothing　but　travelling　outwards　in　space　at　the　rate　of　188；000　miles　per　second　is　hardly　conceivable；　especially　when　the　result　of　it　is　the　inevitable　destruction　of　the　visible　universe。〃

Pursuing　this　teleological　argument；　it　is　suggested　that　perhaps　this　apparent　waste　of　energy　is　〃only　an　arrangement　in　virtue　of　which　our　universe　keeps　up　a　memory　of　the　past　at　the　expense　of　the　present；　inasmuch　as　all　memory　consists　in　an　investiture　of　present　resources　in　order　to　keep　a　hold　upon　the　past。〃　Recourse　is　had　to　the　ingenious　argument　in　which　Mr。　Babbage　showed　that　〃if　we　had　power　to　follow　and　detect　the　minutest　effects　of　any　disturbance；　each　particle　of　existing　matter　must　be　a　register　of　all　that　has　happened。　The　track　of　every　canoe；　of　every　vessel　that　has　yet　disturbed　the　surface　of　the　ocean；　whether　impelled　by　manual　force　or　elemental　power；　remains　forever　registered　in　the　future　movement　of　all　succeeding　particles　which　may　occupy　its　place。　The　furrow　which　is　left　is；　indeed；　instantly　filled　up　by　the　closing　waters；　but　they　draw　after　them　other　and　larger　portions　of　the　surrounding　element；　and　these　again；　once　moved；　communicate　motion　to　others　in　endless　succession。〃　In　like　manner；　〃the　air　itself　is　one　vast　library；　on　whose　pages　are　forever　written　all　that　man　has　ever　said　or　even　whispered。　There　in　their　mutable　but　unerring　characters；　mixed　with　the　earliest　as　well　as　the　latest　sighs　of　mortality；　stand　forever　recorded　vows　unredeemed；　promises　unfulfilled；　perpetuating　in　the　united　movements　of　each　particle　the　testimony　of　man's　changeful　will。〃＇6＇　In　some　such　way　as　this；　records　of　every　movement　that　takes　place　in　the　world　are　each　moment　transmitted；　with　the　speed　of　light；　through　the　invisible　ocean　of　ether　with　which　the　world　is　surrounded。　Even　the　molecular　displacements　which　occur　in　our　brains　when　we　feel　and　think　are　thus　propagated　in　their　effects　into　the　unseen　world。　The　world　of　ether　is　thus　regarded　by　our　authors　as　in　some　sort　the　obverse　or　complement　of　the　world　of　sensible　matter；　so　that　whatever　energy　is　dissipated　in　the　one　is　by　the　same　act　accumulated　in　the　other。　It　is　like　the　negative　plate　in　photography；　where　light　answers　to　shadow　and　shadow　to　light。　Or；　still　better；　it　is　like　the　case　of　an　equation　in　which　whatever　quantity　you　take　from　one　side　is　added　to　the　other　with　a　contrary　sign；　while　the　relation　of　equality　remains　undisturbed。　Thus；　it　will　be　noticed；　from　the　ingenious　and　subtle；　but　quite　defensible　suggestion　of　Mr。　Babbage；　a　leap　is　made　to　an　assumption　which　cannot　be　defended　scientifically；　but　only　teleologically。　It　is　one　thing　to　say　that　every　movement　in　the　visible　world　transmits　a　record　of　itself　to　the　surrounding　ether；　in　such　a　way　that　from　the　undulation　of　the　ether　a　sufficiently　powerful　intelligence　might　infer　the　character　of　the　generating　movement　in　the　visible　world。　It　is　quite　another　thing　to　say　that　the　ether　is　organized　in　such　a　complex　and　delicate　way　as　to　be　like　a　negative　image　or　counterpart　of　the　world　of　sensible　matter。　The　latter　view　is　no　doubt　ingenious；　but　it　is　gratuitous。　It　is　sustained　not　by　scientific　analogy；　but　by　the　desire　to　find　some　assignable　use　for　the　energy　which　is　constantly　escaping　from　visible　matter　into　invisible　ether。　The　moment　we　ask　how　do　we　know　that　this　energy　is　not　really　wasted；　or　that　it　is　not　put　to　some　use　wholly　undiscoverable　by　human　intelligence；　this　assumption　of　an　organized　ether　is　at　once　seen　to　be　groundless。　It　belongs　not　to　the　region　of　science；　but　to　that　of　pure　mythology。

＇6＇　Babbage；　Ninth　Bridgewater　Treatise；　p。　115；　Jevons；　Principles　of　Science；　Vol。　II。　p。　455。


In　justice　to　our　authors；　however；　it　should　be　remembered　that　this　assumption　is　put　forth　not　as　something　scientifically　probable；　but　as　something　which　for　aught　we　know　to　the　contrary　may　possibly　be　true。　This；　to　be　sure；　we　need　not　deny；　nor　if　we　once　allow　this　prodigious　leap　of　inference；　shall　we　find　much　difficulty　in　reaching　the　famous　conclusion　that　〃thought　conceived　to　affect　the　matter　of　another　universe　simultaneously　with　this　may　explain　a　future　state。〃　This　proposition；　quaintly　couched　in　an　anagram；　like　the　discoveries　of　old　astronomers；　was　published　last　year　in　〃Nature；〃　as　containing　the　gist　of　the　forthcoming　book。　On　the　negative…image　hypothesis　it　is　not　hard　to　see　how　thought　is　conceived　to　affect　the　seen　and　the　unseen　worlds　simultaneously。　Every　act　of　consciousness　is　accompanied　by　molecular　displacements　in　the　brain；　and　these　are　of　course　responded　to　by　movements　in　the　ethereal　world。　Thus　as　a　series　of　conscious　states　build　up　a　continuous　memory　in　strict　accordance　with　physical　laws　of　motion；＇7＇　so　a　correlative　memory　is　simultaneously　built　up　in　the　ethereal　world　out　of　the　ethereal　correlatives　of　the　molecular　displacements　which　go　on　in　our　brains。　And　as　there　is　a　continual　transfer　of　energy　from　the　visible　world　to　the　ether；　the　extinction　of　vital　energy　which　we　call　death　must　coincide　in　some　way　with　the　awakening　of　vital　energy　in　the　correlative　world；　so　that　the　darkening　of　consciousness　here　is　coincident　with　its　dawning　there。　In　this　way　death　is　for　the　individual　but　a　transfer　from　one　physical　state　of　existence　to　another；　and　so；　on　the　largest　scale；　the　death　or　final　loss　of　energy　by　the　whole　visible　universe　has　its　counterpart　in　the　acquirement　of　a　maximum　of　life　by　the　correlative　unseen　world。

There　seems　to　be　a　certain　sort　of　rigorous　logical　consistency　in　this　daring　speculation；　but　really　the　propositions　of　which　it　consists　are　so　far　from　answering　to　anything　within　the　domain　of　human　experience　that　we　are　unable　to　tell　whether　any　one　of　them　logically　follows　from　its　predecessor　or　not。　It　is　evident　that　we　are　quite　out　of　the　region　of　scientific　tests；　and　to　whatever　view　our　authors　may　urge　we　can　only　languidly　assent　that　it　is　out　of　our　power　to　disprove　it。

＇7＇　See　my　Outlines　of　Cosmic　Philosophy；　Vol。　II。　pp。　142…148。


The　essential　weakness　of　such　a　theory　as　this　lies　in　the　fact　that　it　is　thoroughly　materialistic　in　character。　It　is　currently　assumed　that　the　doctrine　of　a　life　after　death　cannot　be　defended　on　materialistic　grounds；　but　this　is　altogether　too　hasty　an　assumption。　Our　authors；　indeed；　are　not　philosophical　materialists；　like　Dr。　Priestley；who　nevertheless　believed　in　a　future　life；but　one　of　the　primary　doctrines　of　materialism　lies　at　the　bottom　of　their　argument。　Materialism　holds　for　one　thing　that　consciousness　is　a　product　of　a　peculiar　organization　of　matter；　and　for　another　thing　that　consciousness　cannot　survive　the　disorganization　of　the　material　body　with　which　it　is　associated。　As　held　by　philosophical　materialists；　like　Buchner　and　Moleschott；　these　two　opinions　are　strictly　consistent　with　each　other；　nay；　the　latter　seems　to　be　the　inevitable　inference　from　the　former；　though　Priestley　did　not　so　regard　it。　Now　our　authors　very　properly　refuse　to　commit　themselves　to　the　opinion　that　mind　is　the　product　of　matter；　but　their　argument　nevertheless　implies　that　some　sort　of　material　vehicle　is　necessary　for　the　continuance　of　mind　in　a　future　state　of　existence。　This　material　vehicle　they　seek　to　supply　in　the　theory　which　connects　by　invisible　bonds　of　transmitted　energy　the　perishable　material　body　with　its　counterpart　in　the　world　of　ether。　The　materialism　of　the　argument　is　indeed　partly　veiled　by　the　terminology　in　which　this　counterpart　is　called　a　〃spiritual　body；〃　but　in　this　novel　use　or　abuse　of　scriptural　language　there　seems　to　me　to　be　a　strange　confusion　of　ideas。　Bear　in　mind　that　the　〃invisible　universe〃　into　which　energy　is　constantly　passing　is　simply　the　luminiferous　ether；　which　our　authors；　to　suit　the　requirements　of　their　hypothesis；　have　gratuitously　endowed　with　a　complexity　and　variety　of　structure　analogous　to　that　of　the　visible　world　of　matter。　Their　language　is　not　always　quite　so　precise　as　one　could　desire；　for　while　they　sometimes　speak　of　the　ether　itself　as　the　〃unseen　universe；〃　they　sometimes　allude　to　a　primordial　medium　yet　subtler　in　constitution　and　presumably　more　immaterial。　Herein　lies　the　confusion。　Why　should　the　luminiferous　ether；　or　any　primordial　medium　in　which　it　may　have　been　generated；　be　regarded　as　in　any　way　〃spiritual〃？　Great　physicists；　like　less　trained　thinkers；　are　sometimes　liable　to　be　unconsciously　influenced　by　old　associations　of　ideas　which；　ostensibly　repudiated；　still　lurk　under　cover　of　the　words　we　use。　I　fear　that　the　old　associations　which　led　the　ancients　to　describe　the　soul　as　a　breath　or　a　shadow；　and　which　account　for　the　etymologies　of　such　words　as　〃ghost〃　and　〃spirit；〃　have　had　something　to　do　with　this　spiritualization　of　the　interstellar　ether。　Some　share　may　also　have　been　contributed　by　the　Platonic　notion　of　the　〃grossness〃　or　〃bruteness〃　of　tangible　matter；a　notion　which　has　survived　in　Christian　theology；　and　which　educated　men　of　the　present　day　have　by　no　means　universally　outgrown。　Save　for　some　such　old　associations　as　these；　why　should　it　be　supposed　that　matter　becomes　〃spriritualized〃　as　it　diminishes　in　apparent　substantiality？　Why　should　matter　be　pronounced　respectable　in　the　inverse　ratio　of　its　density