SCIENCE PROGRESSIST- 

 RECENT ADVANCES IN SCIENCE 



PHILOSOPHY. By Hugh Elliot. 



It was pointed out in a former contribution to this section of 

 Science Progress that the various subjects of inquiry, now 

 floundering in the morass of Metaphysics, may be expected in 

 course of time to separate off from their unfortunate connec- 

 tions, and give rise to new branches of special science. There 

 are many indications that the study of human character will 

 before long undergo an evolution of this nature. We know 

 that even in the eighteenth century Rousseau attempted and 

 failed to construct a science of character. We know that in 

 the nineteenth century John Stuart Mill attempted and failed 

 in the same task. Ribot made some genuine contributions, 

 and Bain wrote a book, which however was too much taken up 

 with attacking the obsolete notions of phrenology to be of any 

 real value at present. The twentieth century has already done 

 far more in this direction than the whole previous century. 

 Mentioning Remy de Gourmont merely en passarit, we have 

 the fine analysis of Jules de Gaultier, who started upon the 

 subject afresh, without the smallest metaphysical taint, and 

 definitely sketched out solid blocks of true knowledge. Since 

 then, there have been a variety of valuable French and English 

 works, till we come down to the unpretentious little book of 

 Dr. Charles Mercier, entitled Human Temperaments. 1 Here 

 we have a vivid portrayal of different types of human character. 

 Dr. Mercier scarcely attempts analysis, but proceeds purely by 

 the natural history method. The work is descriptive only, 

 and none the less valuable for that ; for accurate description 

 and accumulation of facts must always precede attempts at 

 co-ordination. 



Another work has also been produced recently by the same 

 lively author, entitled On Causation, with a Chapter on Belief* 



1 The Scientific Press, Ltd. (see p. 151). * Longmans, Green & Co., 1916. 

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