HISTORICAL EVOLUTION OF MYTH AND SCIENCE. 221 



everything was typically individuated in an anthropo- 

 morphic entity in such a way that there arose a 

 natural dualism between the phenomena, facts, and 

 cosmic orders on the one side, and on the other the 

 hierarchy of gods who represented them and over 

 whom they presided. The Hellenic philosophies prior 

 to Plato, both physical and intellectual, and also the 

 psychological morality of Socrates, had already accom- 

 plished the first evolution of this typical stage of uni- 

 versal polytheism, substituting for anthropomorphic 

 representations physical and intellectual principles and 

 powers. Thought was educated in its inward exercise, 

 as well as in the observation of facts and ideal repre- 

 sentations. But and this constituted the first evolu- 

 tion of anthropomorphism in general these powers 

 all expressed the thing in its general and phenomenal 

 form ; it was endowed with merely zoomorphic force, 

 and the world was regarded as physiologically living. 

 Plato, impelled by the foregoing evolution, and 

 by the large and exquisitely aesthetic character of his 

 genius, accomplished the second and altogether in- 

 tellectual stage of evolution by inverting the problem ; 

 he affirmed that the final and intrinsic result of the 

 exercise of thought was its earlier and eternal essence, 

 extrinsic and objective. The types which were first 

 fetishes and then polytheistic were transformed into 

 the physical and intellectual principles of the world, 

 divested of all mythical and extrinsic form as far as 

 their material organization was concerned. Plato held 



