CHAPTER III 



THE APPEAL TO BIOLOGY 



The " social organism" in other writers In Comte Idealist supplement to the 

 biological appeal Professor Mackenzie's statement of the idealist view 

 Intuitionalist criticism of the appeal Comte uses a biological parable 

 Consistent phenomenalism means (if not evolutionism) hedonism Comtism 

 and hedonism two half truths. 



[Note A. On Drummond's Natural Law in the Spiritual World 

 "Biological religion," according to Finlayson Drummond appeals to bio- 

 genesis His religion is Calvinistic, rather, or Gnostic His noble zeal for 

 continuity in knowledge.] 



BIOLOGY comes next below sociology in Comte's scheme 

 of the sciences. As we have seen, it is somewhat 

 difficult to know how far, upon Comte's own principles, 

 this juxtaposition of the two sciences warrants him in 

 expecting the ideas of the lower science to serve as a 

 guiding clue in the construction of the higher. Let it 

 be enough to say that, whether in obedience to his own 

 principles or without warrant from them, Comte has 

 drawn a good deal from the biological analogy. As far 

 back in time as the secession of the Roman Plebs, the 

 parable of the " belly and the members " is alleged to 

 have taught moral lessons to hot -headed or selfish 

 factions. Again, in St. Paul's account of the Church, 

 we are introduced to an organism in which all the 

 members rejoice or suffer together, sympathising fully 

 with one another. It is an extension of the Christian 

 spirit which leads modern thinkers to apply the same 



