The Beauty of Metaphysical Philosophy.
By Editor
[The following note and appropriate verse thereon appeared in the San Francisco Examiner, of July 1, under the name of Thomas Nunan. It will appeal to common-sense people who have a bit of humor.] Professor John McTaggart Ellis McTaggart, the distinguished atheistic philosopher of Cambridge University, now lecturing at the University of California's summer school, denies the existence of matter, saying that everything so regarded is merely dream and delusion. He declares that all intelligent animals are immortal souls. "Nothing but soul; no law but love,"
This is Professor McTaggart's text;
No earth below, no heaven above.
Himself—he's merely a soul perplexed. All that we see or touch or hear,
These are delusions, visions, dreams.
Only the soul is anywhere near;
Nothing is anything like what it seems. Matter is something that nothing can be;
Vainly the tangible spirit is sought;
Spirited spooks in dreams are we;
Everything known is matter of thought. Property, houses, rocks, or trees,
Oceans or rivers or landscape spots—
Never such objects at all as these;
Not a bit real estate in lots. Rare old fossils I thought I had;
Now the collection I've thrown away.
Ancient imaginings all are bad—
Fossilized thoughts of a dead old day. Dainty the fern in a chunk of coal;
Years it had held my pondering gaze.
Yet, 'twas the dream of a saurian soul,
Fated to end in a so-called blaze. Fishes are souls; as well as the boy
Fondly believing he sees a brook;
One may the other one's time employ—
Still but delusions are line and hook. Saddle a horse and speed away!
'Tis an absurdity thus to write.
Even the rider and steed say nay,
Surely they're souls communing in flight. Simply a seeming is all we eat.
Why should we gobble what doesn't exist?
Clothes are but fictions, souls to cheat:
Lay them aside—they'll never be missed. Why are we toiling? Ah, we're mad!
Building delusions to call them real.
Let us throw off the clay and be glad;
Needs that are worldly the soul can not feel.