god the known and god the unknown-第9章

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literal　sense　than　we　have　been　in　the　habit　of　realising　＇sic＇　

to　ourselves。　　For　it　may　be　doubted　whether　the　monads　are　not　as　

truly　seminal　in　character　as　the　procreative　matter　from　which　

all　animals　spring。



It　must　be　remembered　that　if　there　is　any　truth　in　the　view　put　

forward　in　〃Life　and　Habit；〃　and　in　〃Evolution　Old　and　New〃　（and　

I　have　met　with　no　serious　attempt　to　upset　the　line　of　argument　

taken　in　either　of　these　books）；　then　no　complex　animal　or　plant　

can　reach　its　full　development　without　having　already　gone　

through　the　stages　of　that　development　on　an　infinite　number　of　

past　occasions。　　An　egg　makes　itself　into　a　hen　because　it　knows　

the　way　to　do　so；　having　already　made　itself　into　a　hen　millions　

and　millions　of　times　over；　the　ease　and　unconsciousness　with　

which　it　grows　being　in　themselves　sufficient　demonstration　of　

this　fact。　　At　each　stage　in　its　growth　｛he　chicken　is　reminded；　

by　a　return　of　the　associated　ideas；　of　the　next　step　that　it　

should　take；　and　it　accordingly　takes　it。



But　if　this　is　so；　and　if　also　the　congeries　of　all　the　

living　forms　in　the　world　must　be　regarded　as　a　single　person；　

throughout　their　long　growth　from　the　primordial　cell　onwards　to　

the　present　day；　then；　by　parity　of　reasoning；　the　person　thus　

compounded…that　is　to　say；　Life　or　God…should　have　already　passed　

through　a　growth　analogous　to　that　which　we　find　he　has　taken　

upon　this　earth　on　an　infinite　number　of　past　occasions；　and　the　

development　of　each　class　of　life；　with　its　culmination　in　the　

vertebrate　animals　and　in　man；　should　be　due　to　recollection　

by　God　of　his　having　passed　through　the　same　stages；　or　nearly　

so；　in　worlds　and　universes；　which　we　know　of　from　personal　

recollection；　as　evidenced　in　the　growth　and　structure　of　our　

bodies；　but　concerning　which　we　have　no　other　knowledge　

whatsoever。



So　small　a　space　remains　to　me　that　I　cannot　pursue　further　the　

reflections　which　suggest　themselves。　　A　few　concluding　

considerations　are　here　alone　possible。



We　know　of　three　great　concentric　phases　of　life；　and　we　are　not　

without　reason　to　suspect　a　fourth。　　If　there　are　so　many　there　

are　very　likely　more；　but　we　do　not　know　whether　there　are　or　

not。　　The　innermost　sphere　of　life　we　know　of　is　that　of　our　own　

cells。　　These　people　live　in　a　world　of　their　own；　knowing　nothing　

of　us；　nor　being　known　by　ourselves　until　very　recently。　　Yet　they　

can　be　seen　under　a　microscope；　they　can　be　taken　out　of　us；　and　

may　then　be　watched　going　here　and　there　in　perturbation　of　mind；　

endeavouring　＇sic＇　to　find　something　in　their　new　environment　

that　will　suit　them；　and　then　dying　on　finding　how　hopelessly　

different　it　is　from　any　to　which　they　have　been　accustomed。　　They　

live　in　us；　and　make　us　up　into　the　single　person　which　we　

conceive　ourselves　to　form；　we　are　to　them　a　world　comprising　an　

organic　and　an　inorganic　kingdom；　of　which　they　consider　

themselves　to　be　the　organic；　and　whatever　is　not　very　like　

themselves　to　be　the　inorganic。　　Whether　they　are　composed　of　

subordinate　personalities　or　not　we　do　not　know；　but　we　have　no　

reason　to　think　that　they　are；　and　if　we　touch　ground；　so　to　

speak；　with　life　in　the　units　of　which　our　own　bodies　are　

composed；　it　is　likely　that　there　is　a　limit　also　in　an　upward　

direction；　though　we　have　nothing　whatever　to　guide　us　as　to　

where　it　is；　nor　any　certainty　that　there　is　a　limit　at　all。



We　are　ourselves　the　second　concentric　sphere　of　life；　we　being　

the　constituent　cells　which　unite　to　form　the　body　of　God。　　Of　the　

third　sphere　we　know　a　single　member　only…the　God　of　this　world；　

but　we　see　also　the　stars　in　heaven；　and　know　their　multitude。　　

Analogy　points　irresistibly　in　the　direction　of　thinking　that　

these　other　worlds　are　like　our　own；　begodded　and　full　of　life；　

it　also　bids　us　believe　that　the　God　of　their　world　is　begotten　

of　one　more　or　less　like　himself；　and　that　his　growth　has　

followed　the　same　course　as　that　of　all　other　growths　we　know　of。



If　so；　he　is　one　of　the　constituent　units　of　an　unknown　and　

vaster　personality　who　is　composed　of　Gods；　as　our　God　is　

composed　of　all　the　living　forms　on　earth；　and　as　all　those　

living　forms　are　composed　of　cells。　　This　is　the　Unknown　God。　　

Beyond　this　second　God　we　cannot　at　present　go；　nor　should　we　

wish　to　do　so；　if　we　are　wise。　　It　is　no　reproach　to　a　system　that　

it　does　not　profess　to　give　an　account　of　the　origin　of　things；　

the　reproach　rather　should　lie　against　a　system　which　professed　

to　explain　it；　for　we　may　be　well　assured　that　such　a　profession　

would；　for　the　present　at　any　rate；　be　an　empty　boast。　　It　is　

enough　if　a　system　is　true　as　far　as　it　goes；　if　it　throws　new　

light　on　old　problems；　and　opens　up　vistas　which　reveal　a　hope　of　

further　addition　to　our　knowledge；　and　this　I　believe　may　be　

fairly　claimed　for　the　theory　of　life　put　forward　in　〃Life　and　

Habit〃　and　〃Evolution；　Old　and　New；〃　and　for　the　corollary　

insisted　upon　in　these　pages；　a　corollary　which　follows　logically　

and　irresistibly　if　the　position　I　have　taken　in　the　above…named　

books　is　admitted。　　



Let　us　imagine　that　one　of　the　cells　of　which　we　are　composed　

could　attain　to　a　glimmering　perception　of　the　manner　in　which　he　

unites　with　other　cells；　of　whom　he　knows　very　little；　so　as　to　

form　a　greater　compound　person　of　whom　he　has　hitherto　known　

nothing　at　all。　　Would　he　not　do　well　to　content　himself　with　the　

mastering　of　this　conception；　at　any　rate　for　a　considerable　

time？　Would　it　be　any　just　ground　of　complaint　against　him　on　the　

part　of　his　brother　cells；　that　he　had　failed　to　explain　to　them　

who　made　the　man　（or；　as　he　would　call　it；　the　omnipotent　deity）　

whose　existence　and　relations　to　himself　he　had　just　caught　sight　

of？



But　if　he　were　to　argue　further　on　the　same　lines　as　those　on　

which　he　had　travelled　hitherto；　and　were　to　arrive　at　the　

conclusion　that　there　might　be　other　men　in　the　world。　　besides　

the　one　whom　he　had　just　learnt　to　apprehend；　it　would　be　still　

no　refutation　or　just　ground　of　complaint　against　him　that　he　had　

failed　to　show　the　manner　in　which　his　supposed　human　race　had　

come　into　existence。



Here　our　cell　would　probably　stop。　　He　could　hardly　be　expected　

to　arrive　at　the　existence　of　animals　and　plants　differing　from　

the　human　race；　and　uniting　with　that　race　to　form　a　single　

Person　or　God；　in　the　same　way　as　he　has　himself　united　with　

other　cells　to　form　man。　　The　existence；　and　much　more　the　

roundness　of　the　earth　itself；　would　be　unknown　to　him；　except　by　

way　of　inference　and　deduction。　　The　only　universe　which　he　could　

at　all　understand　would　be　the　body　of　the　man　of　whom　he　was　a　

component　part。



How　would　not　such　a　cell　be　astounded　if　all　that　we　know　

ourselves　could　be　suddenly　revealed　to　him；　so　that　not　only　

should　the　vastness　of　this　earth　burst　upon　his　dazzled　view；　

but　that　of　the　sun　and　of　his　planets　also；　and　not　only　these；　

but　the　countless　other　suns　which　we　may　see　by　night　around　us。　　

Yet　it　is　probable　that　an　actual　being　is　hidden　from　us；　which　

no　less　transcends　the　wildest　dream　of　our　theologians　than　the　

existence　of　the　heavenly　bodies　transcends　the　perception　of　our　

own　constituent　cells。　　








　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　THE　END