Note 27 — Chapter VI · PHILOSOPHY AND RELIGION

This word has been used by English writers in various ways—generally as a synonym for universe. Of late, however, there has perhaps been a slight tendency to differentiate it by making it mean the universe as seen and felt by a particular individual or body of individuals—‘the cosmos of our experience.’ This distinction appears to be a fruitful one and will be adopted here. As the words are used in this book, therefore, we should say that there is only one universe, but as many cosmoses as there are individuals. In this way the word cosmos becomes a sort of tool with which we can detach, and objectify for the purpose of inspection, the purely subjective consciousness or outlook (see pp. 72 and 73, notes).