130 REASONS FOR DISSENTING FEOM COMTE. 



Laving invariably expressed my dissent, publicly and 

 privately, from the time I became acquainted with his 

 writings ; it may be imagined that I have been not a little 

 startled to find myself classed as one of the same school. 

 That those who have read First Principles only, may have 

 been betrayed into this error in the way above shown, by the 

 ambiguous use of the phrase &quot;Positive Philosophy,&quot; I can 

 understand. But that any who are acquainted with my pre 

 vious writings, should suppose I have any general sympathy 

 with M. Comte, save that implied by preferring proved facts 

 to superstitions, astonishes me. 



It is true that, disagreeing with M. Comte, though I do, 

 in all those fundamental views that are peculiar to him, 

 I agree with him in sundry minor views. The doctrine that 

 the education of the individual should accord in mode and 

 arrangement with the education of mankind, considered 

 historically, I have cited from him ; and have endeavoured 

 to enforce it. I entirely concur in his opinion that there 

 requires a new order of scientific men, whose function shall 

 be that of co-ordinating the results arrived at by the rest. 

 To him I believe I am indebted for the conception of a 

 social consensus ; and when the time comes for dealing with 

 this conception, I shall state my indebtedness. And I also 

 adopt his word, Sociology. There are, I believe, in the part 

 of his writings which I have read, various incidental thoughts 

 of great depth and value ; and I doubt not that were I to 

 read more of his writings, I should find many others.* It 

 is very probable, too, that I have said (as I am told I have) 

 some things which M. Comte had already said. It would be 

 difficult, I believe, to find any two men who had no opinions 

 in common. And it would be extremely strange if two men, 



* M. Comte s &quot;Exposition&quot; I read in the original in 1853; and in two 

 or three other places have referred to the original to get his exact words. 

 The Inorganic Physics, and the first chapter of the Biology, I read in Miss 

 Martincau s condensed translation, when it appeared. The rest of M. Comte a 

 views I know only through Mr. Lewes s outline, and through incidental references. 



