MS 843 (1908) - A Neglected Argument - Fragments

9

yet among all that crew of theologians who scrape together all the reasons they can find or concoct for believing in God, only one or two (so far as I know,) even mention this one, and those few with a brevity, significant of their consciousness of the undeniable fact that according to current notions of logic the Neglected Argument is clean empty of logical force.

Go to 10

O..1

On a Neglected Argument for the Reality of GOD

Throughout this article, certain words used in peculiar senses defined herein will have their initial letters printed in capitals

O.3/4

Of the three Universes of Experience, the First is the aggregate of all ideas. Every Real is more or less "general," as we say. That is, of any one of them contrary predicates may both be false, though both cannot be true. Thus, the visual Idea of a horse is neither warmer than 98°F, nor no warmer than 98°F. Examples of what I mean by Ideas, are Dedkind's Ideal Numbers; the endless series of transfinite multitudes; Growth in general; the inevitable increase of the average wealth of any class of single funds of wealth subject to two conditions, first, that each be subject to frequent small variations of wealth in which gains and losses are equal "in the long run," and secondly, that there be a certain minimum wealth below which a fund passes out of the class while there is no corresponding maximum of wealth. The Second Universe is that of Actual Things and Facts

O.43

be had to an Icon, or diagram. An Icon, in my use, is a sign which stands for the object for which it does stand, because and in so far as it resembles that

O.1

On a Neglected Argument for the Reality of God.

In this paper, the word 'God,' will be employed as the definable proper name. Accordingly, it signifies 'Ens necessarium.' Reality is not determined by signification; but supposing Him Real, then out of Nothing, out of less than a Blank, He is creating the three Universes of Experience.

Throughout I shall, here and there, Capitalize a word to show that I use it, not as an utterance of our homely thought, but in a sense based upon a definition carried out on the average, with as much preconsideration and elaboration, method, caution, concentration, sincerity of purpose, and assiduity as I would put into a chemical analysis, proximate and ultimate and with much more satisfaction and repetition by independent methods than