PHILOSOPHY AND PHYSICAL REALITY 67 



prejudice against philosophical or * metaphysi 

 cal ' discussions. It is asserted, for instance, 

 that system replaces system in the history of 

 philosophy, and no abiding truth is arrived at. 

 The efforts of philosophers are thus vain, and 

 practical men would do well to disregard 

 completely all metaphysical speculation. 



Such teaching is unworthy of every tradi 

 tion which has helped to raise us from the 

 level of primitive savages. Even if it were 

 true that philosophical speculation has hitherto 

 led to no definite result, we should not be men 

 if we gave up the quest after truth. It is 

 only, however, a shallow and ignorant mind 

 that sees in the history of philosophy nothing 

 but a series of systems, each as bad or as good 

 as the other, and succeeding one another like 

 the 'turns' in a music-hall entertainment. 

 The progress of philosophy has been just as 

 continuous as the progress of science, and the 

 history of philosophy appears to be a meaning 

 less succession of systems to those only who 

 have? never taken the trouble to understand 

 them. 



To philosophers the meaning of that 

 appearance of physical reality with which we 



