false."[314:6]

Now we can form a clear and distinct idea of an absolutely infinite
being that shall have all possible attributes. This idea is a
well-recognized standard and object of reference for thought. But it is
a conception which is highly qualified, not only through its clearness
and distinctness, but also through its abundance of content. It affirms
itself therefore with a certainty that surpasses any other certainty,
because it is supported by each and every other certainty, and even by
the residuum of possibility. If any intelligible meaning be permitted to
affirm itself, so much the more irresistible is the claim of this
infinitely rich meaning. Since every attribute contributes to its
validity, the being with infinite attributes is infinitely or absolutely
valid. The conclusion of the argument is now obvious. If the being
constituted by the infinite attributes exists, it swallows up all
possibilities and exists exclusively.

[Sidenote: The Limits of Spinoza's Argument for God.]

Sect. 152. The vulnerable point in Spinoza's argument can thus be
expressed: that which is important is questionable, and that which is
unquestionable is of doubtful importance. Have I indeed a clear and
distinct idea of an absolutely infinite being? The answer turns upon the
meaning of the phrase "idea of." It is true I can add to such meaning
as I apprehend the thought of possible other meaning, and suppose the
whole to have a definiteness and systematic unity like that of the
triangle. But such an idea is problematic. I am compelled to use the
term "possible," and so to confess the failure of definite content to
measure up to my idea. My idea of an absolutely infinite being is like
my idea of a universal language: I can think _of_ it, but I cannot
_think it out_, for lack of data or because of the conflicting testimony
of other data. If I mean the infinity of my being to be a term of
inclusiveness, and to insist that the all must be, and that there can be
nothing not included in the all, I can scarcely be denied. But it is
reasonable to doubt the importance of such a truth. If, on the other
hand, I mean that my infinite being shall have the compactness and
organic unity of a triangle, I must admit that such a being is indeed
problematic. The degree to which the meaning of the part is dependent
upon the meaning of the whole, or the degree to which the geometrical
analogy is to be preferred to the analogy of aggregates, like the