Lecture Four

Now as strictly modern, self-satisfied men, enlightened, clever men, out of our consciousness we form conceptions about nature. But when we take this whole world of conceptions about nature and test it, test it without prejudice—well, then we find that we have the conceptions, certainly, but with these conceptions we are unable to lay hold of nature. There are, as people say, limits to our knowledge of nature. I have often cited a present-day philosopher, little known by his writings, who has said openly many things that others have not said, because they have not gone so deeply into the matter. I am speaking of Richard Wahle, who has written two big books and all manner of small ones. One of the larger books, published in the eighties, was called The Whole of Philosophy and its End, and a few years ago he wrote The Mechanism of the Human Spirit.