UNIVERSAL MAN 91

cosm, are like two mirrors each reflecting the other. On
the one hand man only exists in relation to the macro-
cosm which determines him, and on the other hand man
knows the macrocosm, and this means that all the
possibilities which are unfolded in the world are princi-
pially contained in man’s intellectual essence. This is
the meaning of the saying in the Quran: “And He (God)
taught Adam all the names (i.e., all the essences of
beings and of things),” (II, 31).

After its own fashion every microcosm is a centre
of the universe, but in man the “subjective’’ polarisa-
tion of the Spirit reaches its culminating point: “He
hath set in your service all that is in the heavens and on
the earth—all comes from Him” (Quran, XLV, 12). As
for the non-human microcosms included in our world,
these are inferior to man as microcosms, that is, they are
inferior as microcosms or as ‘“‘subjective’ polarisations
of the Spirit or of the Unique Prototype, but they are
relatively superior to man in so far as they participate
more in the macrocosmic perfection. There is, down
through the hierarchy of the animal and vegetable king-
doms, an increasing predominance of the species over
individual autonomy?! while in the case of minerals the
two poles of species and individual are almost merged.

Each term of the successive polarisations of the
unique Prototype contains, either implicitly or explicitly,
its own complementary term. The species includes

1. For this reason animals cannot sink in relation to their specific norm
to the same extent as man ; ‘“ Verily We have created man according to the

most beautiful form : then We made him the vilest of the vile, save only those
who believe and do good works...”” (Quran, XCV, 3-5),