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Today it is not enough just to believe; one wants to understand. No philosophical or moral conception
has a probability of triumph if it does not have for its basis a demonstration that is at the same time logical,
mathematical, and positive, in addition to being crowned by a sanction that satisfies all our instincts of justice.
“If a mathematician wanted to write about philosophy and morals using mathematical formulas, he
could without obstacle do it.” Said Leibniz.
However, adds Leibniz: “It has rarely been tried, and much less with good results.”
It should be observed that these conditions were perfectly accomplished by Allan Kardec in his
magisterial exposition made in “The Spirits’ Book.”
That book is the result of an immense work of classification, coordination and elimination that had for
its basis millions of communications and messages obtained from different origins, each one unknown to the
others. These messages were obtained from all points of the world and assembled together by the eminent
compiler, after establishing their authenticity. He was careful to set aside any isolated opinions, and suspect
testimonies, keeping only the points where the statements were in agreement.
There is still much to be added before this work is complete. Despite the death of its brilliant initiator,
this work has not suffered interruption. In fact, we already possess a powerful summary whose main lines were
drawn by Kardec himself. Now, the heirs of his thoughts in conjunction with the invisible world are making an
effort to further develop it. Each one brings his grain of sand for the common establishment of this edifice,
whose fundamentals scientific experimentation renders more solid every day, and whose adornments will
enable it to rise taller day by day.
For thirty uninterrupted years I myself received teachings from spiritual guides, who relentlessly
provided their assistances and advices. Their revelations proceeded to take on a particularly didactic character
during the sessions that lasted eight years, and of which I wrote about in a prior work 9 .
In Allan Kardec’s book, the teachings of the spirits are accompanied, on each question, with a
consideration, commentary, and clarification. His style makes clear the beauty of its principles and the
harmony of its whole. It is there that the qualities of the author become evident. First, he cleverly provides a
clear and precise meaning of the expressions he often employed in his philosophical argumentation. Then, he
proceeds to clarify the terms whose meanings could be interpreted in different ways. He knew that the
confusion that arises in most philosophical systems is the result of a lack of clarity of expressions used by the
authors.
Another rule of equal importance used throughout the entire methodic exposition, and one that Allan
Kardec meticulously observed is that which consists of circumscribing the ideas, and presenting them in a way
that enables the readers to better understand them. Next, he developed those ideas in an orderly fashion and
correlated them so as to promote their interconnection. Finally, he knew how to draw conclusions that already
represent a reality and a certainty within the rational order, and in accordance with human conceptions.
For the above reasons and for the purpose of safety, we propose to adopt the terms, the views, and the
methods observed by Allan Kardec for this book. We have added to our work all developments resulting from
the investigation and experiences that took place during the fifty-year period since the appearance of his
works.
In view of the above validation, we see that the Doctrine of the Spirits (of which Kardec was the
interpreter and judicious compiler), similarly to the most appreciated philosophical systems, encompasses the
essential qualities of clarity, logic and rigor. Unlike any other system, however, the Spiritist Doctrine offers its
vital set of manifestations, through which it first affirmed itself in the world. Since its establishment the
Spiritist Doctrine has continuously withstood all kinds of examinations. It addresses people of all social classes
and conditions; it speaks not only to their senses and intellects, but especially to their best possessions - reason
and conscience.
Do not these inner potencies, in their union, constitute a criterion of good and evil, truth and
falsehood, more or less clear or concealed, evidently in accordance with the advancement of the soul? Further,
don’t we find that each of these is a reflection of the Eternal Reason from which they emanate? 10
9 See Dans I’Invisible, pg. 299 on.
10 Facts do not have value without the reason that analyzes and deduces from them the law. Phenomena are ephemeral; the certainty they give us
is only apparent and without duration. Only the Spirit possesses certainty, absolute truths are of a subjective order, and History shows it.
Through the centuries it was believed, and many still believe, that the Sun is born every day. It was necessary to discover through intelligence the
movements of the Earth, imperceptible to the senses, in order to understand the return of the same points to the same position in relation to the sun.
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