# Scepticism and animal faith

Author: Santayana, George, 1863-1952

Genre: Belief and doubt

Language: English

License: Public domain

Source: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/77155

Amazon editions: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Scepticism+and+animal+faith+Santayana&tag=cyberlibrar00-20

## Summary

A philosopher is compelled to follow the maxim of epic poets and to plunge _in medias res_. The origin of things, if things have an origin, cannot be revealed to me, if revealed at all, until I have travelled very far from it, and many revolutions of the sun must precede my first dawn. The light as it appears hides the candle. Perhaps there is no source of things at all, no simpler form from which they are evolved, but only an endless succession of different complexities. In that case nothing would be lost by joining the procession wherever one happens to come upon it, and following it as long as one’s legs hold out. Every one might still observe a typical bit of it; he would not have und...

## Chapters

- [CHAPTER XXVII](https://www.cyberlibrary.org/en/books/scepticism-and-animal-faith-77155/chapters/27/index.md)
- [CHAPTER X](https://www.cyberlibrary.org/en/books/scepticism-and-animal-faith-77155/chapters/10/index.md)
- [CHAPTER XX](https://www.cyberlibrary.org/en/books/scepticism-and-animal-faith-77155/chapters/20/index.md)
- [CHAPTER XXI](https://www.cyberlibrary.org/en/books/scepticism-and-animal-faith-77155/chapters/21/index.md)
- [CHAPTER XVIII](https://www.cyberlibrary.org/en/books/scepticism-and-animal-faith-77155/chapters/18/index.md)
- [CHAPTER VIII](https://www.cyberlibrary.org/en/books/scepticism-and-animal-faith-77155/chapters/8/index.md)
- [CHAPTER XXVI](https://www.cyberlibrary.org/en/books/scepticism-and-animal-faith-77155/chapters/26/index.md)
- [CHAPTER XVII](https://www.cyberlibrary.org/en/books/scepticism-and-animal-faith-77155/chapters/17/index.md)
- [CHAPTER XXIII](https://www.cyberlibrary.org/en/books/scepticism-and-animal-faith-77155/chapters/23/index.md)
- [CHAPTER XV](https://www.cyberlibrary.org/en/books/scepticism-and-animal-faith-77155/chapters/15/index.md)
- [CHAPTER IX](https://www.cyberlibrary.org/en/books/scepticism-and-animal-faith-77155/chapters/9/index.md)
- [CHAPTER XIX](https://www.cyberlibrary.org/en/books/scepticism-and-animal-faith-77155/chapters/19/index.md)
- [CHAPTER XXIV](https://www.cyberlibrary.org/en/books/scepticism-and-animal-faith-77155/chapters/24/index.md)
- [CHAPTER XXV](https://www.cyberlibrary.org/en/books/scepticism-and-animal-faith-77155/chapters/25/index.md)
- [CHAPTER XI](https://www.cyberlibrary.org/en/books/scepticism-and-animal-faith-77155/chapters/11/index.md)
- [CHAPTER III](https://www.cyberlibrary.org/en/books/scepticism-and-animal-faith-77155/chapters/3/index.md)
- [CHAPTER XIV](https://www.cyberlibrary.org/en/books/scepticism-and-animal-faith-77155/chapters/14/index.md)
- [CHAPTER XIII](https://www.cyberlibrary.org/en/books/scepticism-and-animal-faith-77155/chapters/13/index.md)
- [CHAPTER VI](https://www.cyberlibrary.org/en/books/scepticism-and-animal-faith-77155/chapters/6/index.md)
- [CHAPTER VII](https://www.cyberlibrary.org/en/books/scepticism-and-animal-faith-77155/chapters/7/index.md)
- [CHAPTER XXII](https://www.cyberlibrary.org/en/books/scepticism-and-animal-faith-77155/chapters/22/index.md)
- [CHAPTER XII](https://www.cyberlibrary.org/en/books/scepticism-and-animal-faith-77155/chapters/12/index.md)
- [CHAPTER IV](https://www.cyberlibrary.org/en/books/scepticism-and-animal-faith-77155/chapters/4/index.md)
- [CHAPTER V](https://www.cyberlibrary.org/en/books/scepticism-and-animal-faith-77155/chapters/5/index.md)
- [CHAPTER XVI](https://www.cyberlibrary.org/en/books/scepticism-and-animal-faith-77155/chapters/16/index.md)
- [CHAPTER II](https://www.cyberlibrary.org/en/books/scepticism-and-animal-faith-77155/chapters/2/index.md)
- [CHAPTER I](https://www.cyberlibrary.org/en/books/scepticism-and-animal-faith-77155/chapters/1/index.md)