xistence. As a matter of fact, those who have
attained to some measure of intellectual and moral development do
assume, consciously or unconsciously, some rather definite attitude
toward life, and this is not independent of their conviction as to what
the world is and means.

Metaphysical speculations run out into the philosophy of religion; and,
on the other hand, religious emotions and ideals have again and again
prompted men to metaphysical construction. A glance at history shows
that it is natural to man to embrace some attitude toward the system of
things, and to try to justify this by reasoning. Vigorous and
independent minds have given birth to theories, and these have been
adopted by others. The influence of such theories upon the evolution
of humanity has been enormous.

Ideas have ruled and still rule the world, some of them very abstract
ideas. It does not follow that one is uninfluenced by them, when one
has no knowledge of their source or of their original setting. They
become part of the intellectual heritage of us all, and we sometimes
suppose that we are responsible for them ourselves. Has not the fact
that an idealistic or a materialistic type of thought has been current
at a particular time influenced the outlook on life of many who have
themselves devoted little attention to philosophy? It would be
interesting to know how many, to whom Spencer is but a name, have felt
the influence of the agnosticism of which he was the apostle.

I say this without meaning to criticise here any of the types of
doctrine referred to. My thesis is only that philosophy and life go
hand in hand, and that the prying into the deeper mysteries of the
universe cannot be regarded as a matter of no practical moment. Its
importance ought to be admitted even by the man who has little hope
that he will himself be able to attain to a doctrine wholly
satisfactory and wholly unshakable.

For, if the study of the problems of metaphysics does nothing else for
a given individual, it, at least, enables him to comprehend and
criticise intelligently the doctrines which are presented for his
acceptance by others. It is a painful thing to feel quite helpless in
the face of plausible reasonings which may threaten to rob us of our
most cherished hopes, or may tend to persuade us of the vanity of what
we have been accustomed to regard as of highest worth. If we are quite
unskilled in the examination of such doctrines, we may be c