PR EFAC E. 



THE present volume consists mainly of matter that is 

 new to the American public. Three of the essays have 

 not before appeared in this country, and two of the others, 

 issued as a pamphlet, have had so small a circulation as 

 to have been seen by but few readers. These several 

 discussions have been drawn from Mr. Spencer at various 

 times to correct misapprehensions and misrepresentations 

 that have been made regarding the doctrines of his system 

 of Philosophy. Some of them form valuable extensions 

 of these doctrines, and all will be useful in promoting their 

 right interpretation. Why the closing article has been 

 taken from another volume and appended to this collec 

 tion, requires a few words of explanation. 



Seventeen years ago, Mr. Spencer published an elabo 

 rate Review article entitled &quot; The Genesis of Science,&quot; in 

 which he objected to Comte s views of the classification 

 of the Sciences. Although Mr. Spencer s criticisms in 

 volved a radical dissent from the peculiar views of M. 

 Comte, and what was held as fundamental in his philoso 

 phy, yet upon the publication of his own philosophical 



