and at their predecessors, I saw the same thing. Where there islife, there since man began faith has made life possible for him,

and the chief outline of that faith is everywhere and alwaysidentical.

Whatever the faith may be, and whatever answers it may give,and to whomsoever it gives them, every such answer gives to the

finite existence of man an infinite meaning, a meaning notdestroyed by sufferings, deprivations, or death. This means that

only in faith can we find for life a meaning and a possibility. What, then, is this faith? And I understood that faith is not

merely "the evidence of things not seen", etc., and is not arevelation (that defines only one of the indications of faith, is

not the relation of man to God (one has first to define faith andthen God, and not define faith through God); it not only agreement

with what has been told one (as faith is most usually supposed tobe), but faith is a knowledge of the meaning of human life in

consequence of which man does not destroy himself but lives. Faithis the strength of life. If a man lives he believes in something.

If he did not believe that one must live for something, he wouldnot live. If he does not see and recognize the illusory nature of

the finite, he believes in the finite; if he understands theillusory nature of the finite, he must believe in the infinite.

Without faith he cannot live. And I recalled the whole course of my mental labour and was

horrified. It was now clear to me that for man to be able to livehe must either not see the infinite, or have such an explanation of

the meaning of life as will connect the finite with the infinite. Such an explanation I had had; but as long as I believed in the

finite I did not need the explanation, and I began to verify it byreason. And in the light of reason the whole of my former

• vanity [´væniti] n.虚荣；自负；空虚 (初中英语单词)


• conclusion [kən´klu:ʒən] n.结束；结论；推论 (初中英语单词)


• convince [kən´vins] vt.使确信；使认识错误 (初中英语单词)


• working [´wə:kiŋ] a.工人的；劳动的 (初中英语单词)


• circle [´sə:kəl] n.圆圈 v.环绕；盘旋 (初中英语单词)


• weakness [´wi:knis] n.虚弱；弱点，缺点 (初中英语单词)


• desperate [´despərit] a.拼死的；绝望的 (初中英语单词)


• humanity [hju:´mæniti] n.人类；人性；仁慈 (初中英语单词)


• overlook [,əuvə´luk] vt.&n.俯瞰；忽略；观察 (初中英语单词)


• normal [´nɔ:məl] a.正规的 n.正常状态 (初中英语单词)


• liberal [´libərəl] a.大方的 n.开明的人 (初中英语单词)


• stupid [´stju:pid] a.愚蠢的；糊涂的 (初中英语单词)


• conviction [kən´vikʃən] n.定罪；确信，信服 (初中英语单词)


• enormous [i´nɔ:məs] a.巨大地，很，极 (初中英语单词)


• existence [ig´zistəns] n.存在；生存；生活 (初中英语单词)


• reasonable [´rizənəbəl] a.合理的；有理智的 (初中英语单词)


• creation [kri´eiʃən] n.创作；作品；创造 (初中英语单词)


• retain [ri´tein] vt.保持；保留；留住 (初中英语单词)


• supposed [sə´pəuzd] a.想象的；假定的 (初中英语单词)


• argument [´ɑ:gjumənt] n.辩论；争论；论证 (初中英语单词)


• accord [ə´kɔ:d] n.&vi.符合 vt.给与 (初中英语单词)


• solution [sə´lu:ʃən] n.解答；解决；溶解 (初中英语单词)


• explanation [,eksplə´neiʃən] n.解释；说明；辩解 (初中英语单词)


• constantly [´kɔnstəntli] ad.经常地；不断地 (初中英语单词)


• scientific [,saiən´tifik] a.科学(上)的 (初中英语单词)


• indication [,indi´keiʃən] n.指示；征兆，迹象 (初中英语单词)


• advantage [əd´vɑ:ntidʒ] n.优势；利益 (初中英语单词)


• whatever [wɔt´evə] pron.&a.无论什么 (初中英语单词)


• eternal [i´tə:nəl] a.永远的；永恒的 (初中英语单词)


• acknowledge [ək´nɔlidʒ] vt.(公开)承认；感谢 (初中英语单词)


• outline [´autlain] n.外形 vt.画出…轮廓 (初中英语单词)


• possibility [,pɔsə´biliti] n.可能(性)；希望；前途 (初中英语单词)


• mental [´mentl] a.精神的；心理的 (初中英语单词)


• inevitable [i´nevitəbəl] a.不可避免的 (高中英语单词)


• reasoning [´ri:zəniŋ] n.推理，评理 a.推理的 (高中英语单词)


• consciousness [´kɔnʃəsnis] n.意识；觉悟；知觉 (高中英语单词)


• learned [´lə:nid] a.有学问的，博学的 (高中英语单词)


• blunder [´blʌndə] n.&v.(犯)大错；疏忽 (高中英语单词)


• apprehension [,æpri´henʃən] n.理解；忧虑；逮捕 (高中英语单词)


• characteristic [,kæriktə´ristik] a.特有的 n.特性 (高中英语单词)


• reject [ri´dʒekt] vt.拒绝；抵制；否决 (高中英语单词)


• infinite [´infinit] a.无限的，无穷的 (高中英语单词)


• studied [´stʌdid] a.故意的；有计划的 (高中英语单词)


• strictly [´striktli] ad.严格地 (高中英语单词)


• positive [´pɔzətiv] a.确定的 (高中英语单词)


• solomon [´sɔləmən] n.所罗门 (高中英语单词)


• torment [´tɔ:ment] vt.(使)痛苦，折磨 (高中英语单词)


• consequently [´kɔnsikwəntli] ad.因此，所以 (高中英语单词)


• define [di´fain] vt.解释；说明；限定 (高中英语单词)


• intellect [´intilekt] n.智力；有才智的人 (英语四级单词)


• sincerity [sin´seriti] n.真诚；诚意 (英语四级单词)


• instinctively [in´stiŋktivli] ad.本能地 (英语四级单词)


• rational [´ræʃənəl] a.(有)理性的；合理的 (英语四级单词)


• senseless [´sensləs] a.无知觉的；愚蠢的 (英语四级单词)


• renounce [ri´nauns] v.拒绝 n.放弃权力 (英语四级单词)


• contradiction [,kɔntrə´dikʃən] n.矛盾；反驳；抵触 (英语四级单词)


• verify [´verifai] vt.检验；查对；证明 (英语四级单词)


• mathematics [,mæθə´mætiks] n.数学 (英语四级单词)


• inevitably [in´evitəbli] ad.不可避免地；必然地 (英语四级单词)


• insufficient [,insə´fiʃənt] a.不足的，无能的 (英语六级单词)


• incredibly [in´kredəbli] ad.难以置信地 (英语六级单词)


• delusion [di´lu:ʒən] n.欺骗；幻觉；迷惑 (英语六级单词)


• denial [di´naiəl] n.否认；拒绝 (英语六级单词)


• equation [i´kweiʃən] n.等式，方程式 (英语六级单词)


• identity [ai´dentiti] n.身份；同一性；一致 (英语六级单词)


• indefinite [in´definit] a.模糊的；无限期的 (英语六级单词)