MS 844 (1908) - A Neglected Argument - Additament

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First Additament with two versions of ending and associated fragments

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Argument" is nothing but an instance of the first stage of that work, the stage of observing the facts and pondering them, until by their reactions with the results of previous scientific work, there is evolved an explanatory hypothesis. He will note, however, that the distinctive logical character of this instance of Retroduction is the almost unparalleled height of Plausibility to which the hypothesis rises

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in exceptional cases alone can any definite deduction from it be made. How, for example, can we know what the conduct of an omniscient being would be, especially when, being also omnipotent, he can have nothing like what we call experience, desire, or intention? Indeed, since God, in His essential character of Ens necessarium, is a disembodied spirit, and since there is strong reason for holding that what we call consciousness is nothing but the general sensation of the brain or some part of it, (or, at any rate, some visceral sensation,) God probably has no consciousness. But most of us are in the habit of attributing more importance to this function than it really possesses (See James's paper Does 'Consciousness' Exist? in Jour. Phil. Psy. Sci. Meth. I.477; 1904 Sep. 1.)

On the other hand, among the many pertinent considerations which have been crowded out of this article, I may just mention, in the third place, that it could have been shown that the hypothesis of God's Reality is logically not so isolated a conclusion as it may seem. On the contrary, it is so connected with a theory of the nature of thinking, that if this be proved, so is that. Now there is no such difficulty in tracing experiential consequences of this theory of thinking as there are in attempting directly to trace out other consequences of God's reality.

In so short an article, it could not be expected that I should take notice of objections. Yet objections, such as they are, are obvious enough, and a few

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of them wear at first sight a redoubtable aspect. For example, it may be said that since I compare man's power of guessing at the truth with the instincts of animals, I ought to have noticed that these are entirely explained by the action of natural selection in endowing animals with such powers as contribute to the preservation of their different stocks; and that there is evidence that man's power of penetrating the secrets of nature depends upon this, in the fact that all the successful sciences have been either mechanical in respect to their theories or psychological. Now, some notions of mechanics are needed by all animals to enable them to get food, and are needed most by man; while correct ideas of what passes in his neighbours' minds are needed for the existence of society, and therefore for the propagation of his kind. Metaphysics, however, cannot adapt the human race to maintaining itself, and therefore the presumption is that man has no such genius for discoveries about God, Freedom, and Immortality, as he has for physical and psychical science; and the history of science supports

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this view. This opens an interesting question of logic to which I have devoted much study, with the result of fully satisfying myself that man's power of divining the truth is not so circumscribed.

My reply to this objection could not be given here nor in any piece to be read at one sitting. My reply would show that whatever general conduct of a race would fit or disfit its individuals to the life to come, may be expected also to adapt or maladapt the race itself to maintaining its footing in this world; and further to show, through its pragmaticistic interpretation, that the belief in the Ens necessarium would, according as it were true or false, fit or disfit individuals to eternal life hereafter. And consequently, natural selection naturally will act here on earth to the cultivation of this belief, if it be true, and to its suppression if it be false, just as it acts in respect to ordinary morality.

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