Part 4

Chapter 41,641 wordsPublic domain

Are we, then, annihilated at death? Yes, as conscious individuals. We are bound to admit the force of all the arguments brought forward by science against the theory of a future conscious existence; but these arguments in no way affect the great problem of the “ego,” or “self,” which exists in all of us, irrespective of consciousness, memory, or other brain function. A man may be unconscious, and yet live; therefore consciousness is not necessary to life. When we ask ourselves whether we shall be annihilated at death, we should first of all have a clear definition of the word “we” before we reply. What are we? What am I? I am not consciousness, which is but a function of one of my organs, the brain, and which merely enables me to know myself. Then what am I? I cannot conceive that I am anything but the energy or life-power developed by the aggregation of my life-particles, which causes the various organs of my body to perform their functions, as cerebrating, etc. The primordial germ of my body was a simple bioplasm, consisting of a combination of life-molecules, composed of energetic atoms. From these molecules evolved fresh molecules, which, under the laws of heredity and variation, acquired new properties; until, at last, a complex organism became developed, possessing far higher powers than those belonging to the primordial germ. As the development of species continued, higher forces became manifested; until, at last, the condition of man was reached, and a life-power developed of a much higher order than any previously known. This life-power, or human energy, is the “ego,” the “self,” the cause of the bodily functions, and is eternal. Kant declared there was a world unknown, independent of our conscious phenomenal world; and this we must admit to be true, for we have already granted the existence of an unknown cause, of which force and matter are merely the phenomenal manifestations. It is this outer world of unknown and invisible energy that the scientist finds himself unable to deal with. The death of the body is simply the cessation of cohesion, or dissolution of partnership, between the ultimate atoms of the plasm life-molecules, by which dissolution the property called life ceases, and the atoms of the body assume their original condition, again containing their original sum of force. But what becomes of the huge force developed during the lifetime of the bodily organism? Does that vanish and become a thing of naught? My opinion is that this human force, which is the outcome of the complex union of the ultimate atoms of the plasm life-molecules, and which is but a phenomenal manifestation of the great incomprehensible cause of all phenomena, will, at the death of the body, be re-absorbed into the great animating spirit of the universe, and partake of the nature and properties of the Unknown. This is but my opinion, from which many may differ. I merely offer it as an opinion, and in no way shut my eyes to the great fact that man’s destiny is a riddle as yet unsolved. We may safely leave the matter to be dealt with according to the wisdom of that unknown cause of all things, resting quite assured that we shall be far better disposed of than we could possibly dispose of ourselves, even if we had the power. We must bow the head in a truly scientific spirit, and reply to the great question, “I cannot tell.”

“To be or not to be? that is the question,” says the immortal Shakespeare; after which he sums up the whole argument in two short lines:—

“To die, to sleep. To sleep? perchance to dream— Aye, there’s the rub.”

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GENEALOGY OF MAN

Monera (Plasm) │ Amœbæ (Cells) │ Synamœbæ (Multiple cell-forms) │ Ciliata │ Gastrœada │ Turbellaria (Vermes) │ Scolecida │ Himatega (Sack-worm) │ Acrania (Vertebrata) │ Monorrhini │ Selachii (Pisces) │ ┌──────────────┴─────────┐ │ │ Dipnoi Ganoidei │ │ Sozobranchii Teleostei │ Urodela │ Protamnia │ ┌─────┴────────────────────┐ Reptilia Monotremata (Mammalia) │ │ ┌────────┴───────┐ Marsupialia Aves Reptilia │ Placentalia

Placentalia │ ┌────────────────────────┼───────────────────────┐ │ │ │ Villiplacentalia Zenoplacentalia Discoplacentalia │ Carnaria Prosimiæ │ _______│_____________ │ ┌───┴────┬───────┐ |Carnivora Pinnipedia| │ │ │ │ │ Edentata Ungulata Cetacea ┌────────┬──────────┬───┴─────┬──────┐ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ Simiæ Prosimiæ Insectivora Rodentia │ │ (Apes) (Lemurs) │ │ │ Cheiroptera │ └──────────┬───────────────┐ ┌───────┴─────┬──────────┐ │ │ Solidungula Ruminantia Pachydermata Catarrhini Platyrrhini Menocerca │ ┌─────┴───────────┐ Tailed Baboons Authropoidæ + Macaques Man-like Apes │ ┌────────────────┬─────────────┬─────┘ Gibbon and Chimpanzee Alali Orang Gorilla (Ape-like Men) │ ┌─────────┴───────┐ Woolly-haired Straight-haired Alali Alali │ │ ┌──────────┬──────────┬───────┤ ┌──────┴───────┐ Papuan Hottentot Negro Caffre Polynesian Australian or Malay │ │ ┌──────────────────────┴─────┐ Caucasian Mongolian or Iranian or Turanian │ │ ┌─────┴─────┐ ┌───────────┴────┐ Aryan or Semitic Mongols Mongols Indo-European of China of America

SECTION OF EARTH’S CRUST

Showing the different Geological Strata and Biological Ascent

TERTIARY PERIOD IN EUROPE.

MAN’S ANTIQUITY.

When we reflect on the magnitude of the pre-Christian Alexandrian libraries, as well as the magnificent appointments attaching to and lavish wealth expended upon the ancient University of the capital of the Ptolemies, we seem almost unable to realise the fact that people of education and intellect, until quite lately, believed that all this intellectual and literary magnificence had reached that pitch of excellence in the short space of less than four thousand years. In this period of time it was believed that man had so far risen in intellectual capacity from the absolutely ignorant condition of the first pair as described in Genesis as to have reached that state of mental perfection possessed by the professors in the Alexandrian, Athenian, and Sicilian schools. We can see Professor Euclid pointing out on the blackboard how, the sides of a rectilinear polygon all touching a circle, the area of the polygon is equal to the rectangle contained by the radius of the circle and the semi-perimeter of the polygon; Professor Archimedes would be explaining the theory that, if a force act upon a body, the measure of the force in absolute units is numerically equal to the time-rate of change of momentum and to the space-rate of change of kinetic energy; Professor Eratosthenes would be impressing upon his class the importance of the knowledge of the globular shape of the earth; and Professor Hipparchus would be startling his hearers by stating that he would show them how the failure of the sun to reach the same point in the same time in his annual circuit (according to the old geocentric theory) caused the vernal equinoxial sign to give place to the next zodiacal sign every 2,152 years.

Here was a galaxy of intellectual attainments indeed! With such a picture before our eyes we are calmly asked to believe that so little time as less than four thousand years had been sufficient for the building up of this vast intellectual edifice out of such rude materials as the man and woman of Eden, when the two thousand years following have been productive of so little advancement, notwithstanding the exquisite materials upon which to work that were left for us by the Alexandrian and Athenian sages. We cannot believe so evident an absurdity to-day; and yet it is little more than half a century since the whole of Christendom accepted without any doubt whatever the old traditional statement of the Church that man had only inhabited this earth for rather less than six thousand years.