526 LOGIC OF THE MORAL SCIENCES. 



characterize, has been systematically attempted, up to the pre 

 sent time, by M. Comte alone. His work is hitherto the only 

 known example of the study of social phenomena according to 

 this conception of the Historical Method. Without discussing 

 here the worth of his conclusions, and especially of his predic 

 tions and recommendations with respect to the Future of 

 society, which appear to me greatly inferior in value to his 

 appreciation of the Past, I shall confine myself to mentioning 

 one important generalization, which M. Comte regards as the 

 fundamental law of the progress of human knowledge. Specu 

 lation he conceives to have, on every subject of human inquiry, 

 three successive stages ; in the first of which it tends to explain 

 the phenomena by supernatural agencies, in the second by 

 metaphysical abstractions, and in the third or final state con 

 fines itself to ascertaining their laws of succession and simili 

 tude. This generalization appears to me to have that high 

 degree of scientific evidence, which is derived from the con 

 currence of the indications of history with the probabilities 

 derived from the constitution of the human mind. Nor could 

 it be easily conceived, from the mere enunciation of such a 

 proposition, what a flood of light it lets in upon the whole 

 course of history ; when its consequences are traced, by 

 connecting with each of the three states of human intellect 

 which it distinguishes, and with each successive modification 

 of those three states, the correlative condition of other social 

 phenomena.* 



* This great generalization is often unfavourably criticised (as by Dr. 

 Whewell for instance) under a misapprehension of its real import. The doctrine, 

 that the theological explanation of phenomena belongs only to the infancy of 

 our knowledge of them, ought not to be construed as if it was equivalent to the 

 assertion, that mankind, as their knowledge advances, will necessarily cease to 

 believe in any kind of theology. This was M. Comte s opinion ; but it is by 

 no means implied in his fundamental theorem. All that is implied is, that in 

 an advanced state of human knowledge, no other Ruler of the World will be 

 acknowledged than one who rules by universal laws, and does not at all, or 

 does not unless in very peculiar cases, produce events by special interpositions. 

 Originally all natural events were ascribed to such interpositions. At present 

 every educated person rejects this explanation in regard to all classes of pheno-. 

 mena of which the laws have been fully ascertained ; though some have not 

 yet reached the point of referring all phenomena to the idea of Law, but 



