38 



PHILOSOPHICAL THOUGHT. 



chronological point of view dealing with the different 

 systems as they have rapidly followed each other, 

 especially on the Continent, casting side glances at the 

 smaller developments which have issued from them. 

 The classical model in this line is the ' History of 

 Modern Philosophy,' by Kuno Fischer. In spite of 

 much that may be said against the plan and method 

 adopted in this work, it remains the greatest perform- 

 ance which the last fifty years have witnessed in the 

 history of recent speculation, a worthy counterpart to 

 Edward Zeller's equally monumental ' History of Greek 

 Philosophy.' 



works, which still form funda- 

 mental treatises, we come to a 

 third period of philosophical his- 

 toriography in Germany which is 

 characterised by a freer treatment 

 of the subject, inclining more in 

 the direction which this history is 

 following i.e., towards a history 

 of philosophic thought rather than 

 of philosophic systems or individual 

 thinkers. Prominent among these, 

 so far as recent philosophy is con- 

 cerned, are Falckenberg ('Geschich- 

 te der neuern Philosophic,' 1886, 

 and many subsequent editions) and 

 W. Windelband (' Geschichte der 

 Philosophic,' 1893, ' Geschichte der 

 neuern Philosophic,' 2 vols. , 1878- 

 80, both in several editions). For 

 purposes of reference Ueberweg's 

 1 Grundriss ' (re-edited by Heinze, 

 Part iv., 10th ed., 1906) is invalu- 

 able. In addition to these standard 

 works there exist an enormous 

 number of historical treatises on 

 special subjects, or written from 

 special points of view ; among these 

 the historical works of E. von Hart- 

 mann are conspicuous. To such 

 works I shall refer in the course of 

 this History, but I am by no means 

 acquainted with all of them. Most 

 of the larger works which I men- 

 tion confine themselves, so far as 



the nineteenth century is concerned, 

 mainly to German philosophy, and 

 only the very latest have begun 

 to take notice also of philosophy 

 in France, England, and other 

 countries. Ueberweg's ' Grundriss ' 

 has indeed elaborate additional sec- 

 tions on modern philosophy in 

 other than German countries. As 

 they are, however, written by sep- 

 arate authors belonging to the 

 respective countries, the whole 

 work does not afford a survey 

 from an international point of view. 

 The only comprehensive work writ- 

 ten in this spirit is the ' History 

 of Modern Philosophy,' by Prof. 

 Harald Hoffding (Engl. transl., 2 

 vols., 1900). Like his country- 

 man G. Brandes, not being identi- 

 fied with any of the principal 

 movements of modern literature 

 or thought, he has been able, more 

 than other writers, to do justice 

 to the separate work of different 

 nationalities, taking up an impartial 

 cosmopolitan attitude ; though Hoff- 

 ding admits that even in his later 

 supplementary historical works on 

 " modern problems of philosophy " 

 and " modern thinkers " his expo- 

 sition is still defective, especially 

 for French philosophy. 



