Part One: Chapter 7

by Leo Tolstoy

　　On arriving in Moscow by a morning train, Levin had put up at thehouse of his elder half-brother, Koznishev. After changing hisclothes he went down to his brother's study, intending to talk tohim at once about the object of his visit, and to ask his advice;but his brother was not alone. With him there was a well-knownprofessor of philosophy, who had come from Harkov expressly toclear up a difference that had arisen between them on a veryimportant philosophical question. The professor was carrying ona hot crusade against materialists. Sergey Koznishev had beenfollowing this crusade with interest, and after reading theprofessor's last article, he had written him a letter stating hisobjections. He accused the professor of making too greatconcessions to the materialists. And the professor had promptlyappeared to argue the matter out. The point in discussion wasthe question then in vogue: Is there a line to be drawn betweenpsychological and physiological phenomena in man? and if so,where?

　　Sergey Ivanovitch met his brother with the smile of chillyfriendliness he always had for everyone, and introducing him tothe professor, went on with the conversation.

　　A little man in spectacles, with a narrow forehead, tore himselffrom the discussion for an instant to greet Levin, and then wenton talking without paying any further attention to him. Levinsat down to wait till the professor should go, but he soon beganto get interested in the subject under discussion.

　　Levin had come across the magazine articles about which they weredisputing, and had read them, interested in them as a developmentof the first principles of science, familiar to him as a naturalscience student at the university. But he had never connectedthese scientific deductions as to the origin of man as an animal,as to reflex action, biology, and sociology, with those questionsas to the meaning of life and death to himself, which had of latebeen more and more often in his mind.

　　As he listened to his brother's argument with the professor, henoticed that they connected these scientific questions with thosespiritual problems, that at times they almost touched on thelatter; but every time they were close upon what seemed to himthe chief point, they promptly beat a hasty retreat, and plungedagain into a sea of subtle distinctions, reservations,quotations, allusions, and appeals to authorities, and it waswith difficulty that he understood what they were talking about.

　　"I cannot admit it," said Sergey Ivanovitch, with his habitualclearness, precision of expression, and elegance of phrase. "Icannot in any case agree with Keiss that my whole conception ofthe external world has been derived from perceptions. The mostfundamental idea, the idea of existence, has not been received byme through sensation; indeed, there is no special sense-organ forthe transmission of such an idea."

　　"Yes, but they--Wurt, and Knaust, and Pripasov--would answerthat your consciousness of existence is derived from theconjunction of all your sensations, that that consciousness ofexistence is the result of your sensations. Wurt, indeed, saysplainly that, assuming there are no sensations, it follows thatthere is no idea of existence."

　　"I maintain the contrary," began Sergey Ivanovitch.

　　But here it seemed to Levin that just as they were close upon thereal point of the matter, they were again retreating, and he madeup his mind to put a question to the professor.

　　"According to that, if my senses are annihilated, if my body isdead, I can have no existence of any sort?" he queried.

　　The professor, in annoyance, and, as it were, mental sufferingat the interruption, looked round at the strange inquirer, morelike a bargeman than a philosopher, and turned his eyes uponSergey Ivanovitch, as though to ask: What's one to say to him?But Sergey Ivanovitch, who had been talking with far less heatand one-sidedness than the professor, and who had sufficientbreadth of mind to answer the professor, and at the same time tocomprehend the simple and natural point of view from which thequestion was put, smiled and said:

　　"That question we have no right to answer as yet."

　　"We have not the requisite data," chimed in the professor, and hewent back to his argument. "No," he said; "I would point out thefact that if, as Pripasov directly asserts, perception is basedon sensation, then we are bound to distinguish sharply betweenthese two conceptions."

　　Levin listened no more, and simply waited for the professor togo.