136 EEASOXS FOE DISSENTING FEOM COMTE. 



True or untrue, his system as a whole, has doubtless produced 

 important and salutary revolutions of thought in many 

 minds; and will doubtless do so in many more. Doubtless, 

 too, not a few of those who dissent from his general views, 

 have been heathfully stimulated by the consideration of them. 

 The presentation of scientific knowledge and method as a 

 whole, whether rightly or wrongly co-ordinated, cannot have 

 failed greatly to widen the conceptions of most of his readers. 

 And he has done especial service by familiarizing men with 

 the idea of a social science, based on the other sciences. 

 Beyond which benefits resulting from the general character 

 and scope of his philosophy, I believe that there are scattered 

 through his pages, many large ideas that are valuable not 

 only as stimuli, but for their actual truth. 



It has been by no means an agreeable task to make these 

 personal explanations ; but it has seemed to me a task not to 

 be avoided. Differing so profoundly as I do from M. Comte 

 on all fundamental doctrines, save those which we inherit in 

 common from the past ; it has become needful to dissipate 

 the impression that I agree with him needful to show that 

 a large part of what is currently known as &quot;positive 

 philosophy,&quot; is not &quot;positive philosophy&quot; in the sense of 

 being peculiarly M. Comte s philosophy; and to show that 

 beyond that portion of the so-called &quot;positive philosophy&quot; 

 which is not peculiar to him, I dissent from it. 



And now at the close, as at the outset, let me express my 

 great regret that these explanations should have been called 

 forth by the statements of a critic who has treated me so liber 

 ally. Nothing will, I fear, prevent the foregoing pages from 

 appearing like a very ungracious response to M. Laugel s 

 sympathetically-written review. I can only hope that the 

 gravity of the question at issue, in so far as it concerns 

 myself, may be taken in mitigation, if not as a sufficient 

 apology. 



March IWi, 1864. 



