THE PROBLEM OF LIFE’S PURPOSE nature is isolated, the rest ignored. Further, as between various uses to which powers might be put, there can be no deciding which is higher and which is lower, save in the light of the purpose of the whole being: those uses which serve the purpose are good, those which hinder it are bad. (2) The second objection is far more important and is, indeed, fundamental to the understanding of the whole of what is to come. Even if human nature were fully understood with no shadow of error, the purpose of man’s life could be deduced from it only if the purpose of man’s life were contained in it — that is, if man’s purpose simply meant the highest activity possible to his own nature. But supposing the purpose of human life is some activity or state higher than man’s nature. Then we cannot find it simply by studying his nature. And God has in fact taught that He destines us not for something of which our nature is in itself capable (and which might, .therefore, as I have said, be deduced from our nature) but for something to which He in His generosity chose to lift us; and this obviously cannot be deduced from any study of us: one may deduce the incidence of justice, but not of generosity. Given, then, that apart from the revelation of God we cannot know with certainty what is the purpose of our existence as man, the only thing left for the one who does not believe^in such a revelation is to choose an object of life : to decide for himself what he will use his life for. But given the myriad possi15