OF THE UNITY OF THOUGHT. 641 



mind to the totality of things, to the Universe. The uni- 

 verse was not, however, at that time and in that school 

 of thought, conceived in the naturalistic sense which 

 has gradually supervened in the course of the nine- 

 teenth century in consequence of the great progress 

 and popular influence of the natural sciences. The 

 totality of things, or the Universe, was decidedly, though 

 somewhat vaguely, considered to be spiritual, with an 

 equally decided bias in the direction of identifying the 

 spiritual with the intellectual. To this intellectual 

 definition Schelling, indeed, influenced largely by Goethe, 

 had added the poetical or artistic conception ; Schleier- 

 macher, on his part, urged more distinctly the 

 emotional. 



Schleiermacher's Addresses mark another important 

 step towards the introspective or psychological treat- 

 ment of philosophical problems. They represent, more- 

 over, one among many efforts made at that time to 

 maintain philosophical discussions at a higher level, to 

 prevent them from falling back into that formalism and 

 triviality into which they had sunk during the age of 

 so-called enlightment, and out of which Kant had raised 

 them into a higher sphere. 



We see then how many interests and influences, how 

 many new ideas, how many theoretical and practical 

 tendencies were then at work. To outside beholders, 

 to the younger and ardent minds, especially at the 

 German universities, the aspect must indeed have been 

 bewildering. 



What was wanted more than anything else was to 

 concentrate the many rays of new light into a focus, to 



VOL. IV. 2 S 



