ervants. All things are
subdued by the hand of man; he can resist nature, while all other
creatures are captives of nature, none can depart from her requirements.
Man alone can resist nature. Nature attracts bodies to the center of the
earth; man through mechanical means goes far from it, and soars in the
air. Nature prevents man from crossing the seas, man builds a ship, and he
travels and voyages across the great ocean, and so on; the subject is
endless. For example, man drives engines over the mountains and through
the wildernesses, and gathers in one spot the news of the events of the
East and West. All this is contrary to nature. The sea with its grandeur
cannot deviate by an atom from the laws of nature; the sun in all its
magnificence cannot deviate as much as a needle's point from the laws of
nature, and can never comprehend the conditions, the state, the qualities,
the movements, and the nature of man.

What, then, is the power in this small body of man which encompasses all
this? What is this ruling power by which he subdues all things?

One more point remains: modern philosophers say: "We have never seen the
spirit in man, and in spite of our researches into the secrets of the
human body, we do not perceive a spiritual power. How can we imagine a
power which is not sensible?" The theologians reply: "The spirit of the
animal also is not sensible, and through its bodily powers it cannot be
perceived. By what do you prove the existence of the spirit of the animal?
There is no doubt that from its effects you prove that in the animal there
is a power which is not in the plant, and this is the power of the senses;
that is to say, sight, hearing, and also other powers; from these you
infer that there is an animal spirit. In the same way, from the proofs and
signs we have mentioned, we argue that there is a human spirit. Since in
the animal there are signs which are not in the plant, you say this power
of sensation is a property of the animal spirit; you also see in man
signs, powers, and perfections which do not exist in the animal; therefore
you infer that there is a power in him which the animal is without."

If we wish to deny everything that is not sensible, then we must deny the
realities which unquestionably exist. For example, ethereal matter is not
sensible, though it has an undoubted existence. The power of attraction is
not sensible, though it certainly exists. From what do we affirm these
existences? Fro