The Star in the West

THE NEW WINE 233 thoroughly entangled the sceptic , as he thinks , he launches out an “ apodictic certainty ," very similar to Berkeley's “ God -idea , " and defines “ Idealism " to “ consist in the assertion that there exist none but thinking entities.” [Crowley at once denies the “ cer tainty ," and demands an explanation of “ thinking . ” ] Then working through the Berkeleyan arguments backwards , he arrives at defining . [Thing as a (unknowable ) power to produce sense impressions , which is purely Berkeley or his antithesis according as the power is conceived as God or Matter . ] Here we have struck again the fundamental chain A , B , A , B , A , B. Having now settled with “ Pure Mathematics ,” he turns to “ Pure Natural Science ," again assuming at the outset apodictic laws of nature , which Berkeley also assumed , and which Hume proved to be sceptical ; such as “ substance continues permanent ”-a theory on the same footing as papal infallibility , and about a hundred years older-and that all that happens is “ determined by a cause according to fixed laws " (p . 42 ). Concerning which Huxley states : “ not one of these events is more than probable '; though the probability may reach such a very high degree that , in ordinary language , we are justified in saying that the opposite events are impossible ." This is even going a step in advance of Hume , who stated : “ a miracle is a violation of the laws of na ture ." 2 As to the conservation of energy and matter , Crowley would say : [" they were arguments in a circle (A); for the use of scientific instruments by which they were discovered , implies these laws ."] Essay on Hume , p . 155 . ? An Enquiry concerning Human Understanding , p . 120 . " 1 1