1875. Notices of Books. 9s 
Biology, when Bichat indicated the relations existing between 
the functions of organs and the properties of tissues; while 
Sociology has at present become a science. The following 
complete classification of the sciences is finally adopted :— 
B3STRACT SCIENCES a ape 
eet COENCES. (Qualitative «2 ic x! 5, Lacie 
5 sy ies “**) Quantitative...) .. «. MATHEMATICS: 
that are— 
In movements of masses .. MOLAR Puysics. 
In movements of molecules, 
and in aggregations of| 
molecules that are homo- 
geneous ey 
In aggregations of poleoat e3) 
that are heterogeneous ..} 
ABSTRACT-CONCRETE 
SCIENCES, 2 
Dealing with properties, 
that are manifested— 
MOoOLeEcuLAR Puysics. 
CHEMISTRY. 
(In stellar and planetary 2 ha Ne ONDMCE 
L “ sihdhe 
EGIIUSWe steed Staal task | bird Uae 
< Inithe Garth? sca cies ac oe (GEOLOGY. 
d tE SCIENCES 
CoNcRET S ’ |In living organisms .. BIoLoGy. 
Dealing withaggregates 
'In the fundions which adjust 
organic actions to specific} PsycuoLocy. 
relationsin the environment 
the mutual relations of 
; living organisms eroured| SOCIOLOGY. 
{ ito communities .. .. 
(w ith their properties: 
and relations), as ac- 
tually exemplified— | Ti 
Dr. Fiske concludes the first part of his-book by asserting that 
‘¢the law of evolution is the first generalisation concerning the 
concrete universe as a whole, which has been framed in conscious 
conformity to the rigorous requirements of the objective method, 
and which has therefore served to realise the prophetic dream of 
Bacon, by presenting Philosophy as an organism of which the 
various sciences are members.” And, finally, he fuses into one 
sentence the two thoughts (of Plato and of ‘D’ Alembert) which 
he places on the title-page of the work :—‘* To a thinker capable 
of comprehending it froma single point of view, the universe 
would present but a single fact, but one all comprehensive 
truth; and itis for this reason that we call it Cosmos, and not 
Chaos.” 
Part 1 (Prolegomena) is followed by Part 2(Synthesis). At 
the basis of the physical sciences lie two universal propositions, 
or, as we should prefer to call them, axioms:—WMatier is 
indestructible is the one, Motion is continuous is the other. 
‘The fundamental elements of our conception of matter are its 
force-element and its space-element, namely, resistance and 
extension. The fundamental elements of our conception of 
motion are its force-element and its space- and time-element, 
namely, energy and velocity. That in each case the force- 
element is primordial is shown by the facts that what we cannot 
conceive as diminished by the compression of matter is not its 
extension, but its Bamce of resistance ; what we cannot conceive 
as diminished by the retardation of motion is not its velocity, 
