Page 55 - ANNA KARENINA

Anna Karenina

and appeals to authorities, and it was with difficulty that he
understood what they were talking about.
‘I cannot admit it,’ said Sergey Ivanovitch, with his
habitual clearness, precision of expression, and elegance of

phrase. ‘I cannot in any case agree with Keiss that my
whole conception of the external world has been derived
from perceptions. The most fundamental idea, the idea of
existence, has not been received by me through sensation;
indeed, there is no special sense-organ for the transmission
of such an idea.’
‘Yes, but they—Wurt, and Knaust, and Pripasov—
would answer that your consciousness of existence is
derived from the conjunction of all your sensations, that
that consciousness of existence is the result of your
sensations. Wurt, indeed, says plainly that, assuming there
are no sensations, it follows that there 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 the real point of the matter, they were again
retreating, and he made up his mind to put a question to
the professor.

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