Chapter XIII (part 2)

The positivistic scientist finds himself in the presence of nature almost in the position of a savage in a library of rare and valuable books. For a savage a book is a thing of definite size and weight. However long he may ask himself what purpose this strange thing serves, he will never discover the truth from its appearance; and the contents of the book will remain for him the incomprehensible noumenon . In like manner the contents of nature are incomprehensible to the positivistic scientist. But if a man knows of the existence of the contents of the book— p. 145 the noumenon of life—if he knows that a mysterious meaning is hidden under visible phenomena, there is the possibility that in the long run he will discover the contents. For success in this it is necessary to grasp the idea of the inner contents, i.e., the meaning of the thing in itself. The scientist who discovers little tablets with hieroglyphics, or wedge-shaped inscriptions in an unknown language, deciphers and reads them after great labor. And in order to accomplish this he needs only one thing: it is necessary for him to know that these little signs represent an inscription . As long as he regards them simply as an ornament, as the outside embellishment of little tablets, or as an accidental tracing without meaning—up to that time their meaning and significance will be closed to him absolutely. But let him only assume the existence of that meaning and the possibility of its comprehension will be already within sight. No secret cipher exists which cannot be solved without the aid of any key. But it is necessary to know that it is a cipher . This is the first and necessary condition. Lacking this it is impossible to accomplish anything. ______ The idea of the existence of the visible and the hidden sides of life was known to philosophy long ago. Phenomena were regarded as only one aspect of the world, and as being infinitely small compared to the hidden aspect— seeming , not existing really, arising in consciousness at the moment of its contact with the real world. Another side, noumena , was recognized as really existing in itself, but inaccessible for our receptivity. But there is no greater error than to regard the world as divided into phenomena and noumena—to conceive of phenomena and noumena apart from one another, and susceptible of being separately known. This is philosophic illiteracy, which shows itself most clearly in the dualistic spiritistic theories. The division into phenomena and noumena exists only in our minds. The "phenomenal world" is simply our incorrect perception of the world. As Carl DuPrel has said, " The world beyond is this world, only perceived strangely ." It would be more accurate to say, that this world is the world beyond perceived strangely . p. 146 Kant's idea is quite correct, that the study of the phenomenal side of the world will not bring us any nearer to the understanding of "things-in-themselves." The "thing-in-itself"—that is the thing as it exists in itself, independently of us . The "phenomenon of the thing"—that is the thing in such semblance as we perceive it. The example of a book in the hands of an illiterate savage shows us quite clearly that it is sufficient not to know about the existence of the noumenon of a thing (the contents of the book in this case) in order that it shall not manifest itself in phenomena. On the other hand, the knowledge of its existence is sufficient to make possible its discovery with the aid of the very phenomena which, without the knowledge of the noumenon, would be perfectly useless.