Essays in Idleness

Art, religion, and science, are systematically misunderstood, and can never be understood in any “perfect” or complete way.

Henri Bergson seems to be with me on this, and the whole Catholic tradition.

Consider, for instance, the phenomena of memory. Where do memories go, and how can they be retrieved? Truth to tell, these questions have been defeating me for a long, long time. In aggregate they confront me, as if a singularity. No amount of research can locate a memory in physical space, or ever be found once I have lost it. Yet it will return to me of its own accord. This incidental fact may be acknowledged, but seldom does it inspire anyone to consistent attention. That, for instance, the entire world or universe may be remembered, “in the mind of God” as it were. But the world cannot be; or if it actually exists, it cannot be remembered. For “materialism” must insist upon this. Unless God has ordained both matter and spirit; and reality must then, necessarily, contain both.

To some extent, some piece of “non-existent,” or no longer existing, memory, can be described. Perhaps even flies nibble pieces of it. Therefore even flies are a feature of the spiritual world, as well as the material, and extend beyond the reach of mortal human understanding. All theories about reality will always break down.

Any attempt to locate even the processing centre for memories is doomed to failure. It cannot be found, much though parts like the cerebrum, cerebellum, and brainstem may be shown in a diagram, or by an adequately trained, probing surgeon. Various functions may be assigned to the parts. But where are the memories located? How can you even try to fetch them? Look: not in any of this world’s many places.

They are not in the skull, nor can be spotted near or far away. The spirit, or soul of a person, or of any other living thing, cannot be found outside any more than it can be found inside a brain. Though bounded in a nutshell, we occupy infinite space, and all the time before and after. So we imagine, but cannot give an account of any of it, that is accurate.

What exists in the spirit must exist absolutely, however, beyond our slight reach. It is also beyond the reach of “artificial intelligence,” which can’t imagine, can’t originate anything.