Positive Philosophy. 47 



we shall not seek for them nor feel bound to attempt 

 their answer. 



Shall we then free ourselves of all preconceived 

 notions of creation — of development, of Theology- — 

 of how things oitgJit to be — or, at least, leave them 

 for future discussion and apply ourselves to the task 

 of learning what is — in the department of nature 

 which we propose to investigate ? If we can do this, 

 we shall gain for ourselves all the good which Pos- 

 itive Philosophy has ever had to offer as a guide in 

 science, without committing ourselves to its dog- 

 mas. And this much should be said in favor of 

 Positivism, that its method is the only true one for 

 approaching every natural science. Whether the 

 human mind can stop, or ought to attempt to stop, 

 within the limits which Positive Philosophy pre- 

 scribes for it, is a very different question. 



Will you allow me then, for convenience of lan- 

 guage, to speak of the earth with all its elements, 

 the stars and planets, as all acting by a power of 

 their own to produce the varied results that are 

 naturally ascribed to them ? But these results as- 

 cribed to them are meaningless to us unless they 

 have some knoAvn connection with an end. And 

 an end or purpose either by itself or as part of a se- 

 ries of purposes, is always apprehended by us as 

 having relation to sentient beings. 



We recognize then in the operations of inorgan- 

 ic nature certain provisions for organized beings- 

 beings that can grow, flourish, languish and die. 

 The full provision consists of a mutual adaptation 

 of the being and the world to each other. It is a 



