306 Darwinism and Other Essays. 



tiquated the older ones ; and accordingly, in teach- 

 ing metaphysics, extensive use should be made of 

 the historical method of presentation. Recita- 

 tions from the text-book might profitably be com- 

 bined or alternated with lectures upon the history 

 of philosophy, in which the aim should be to in- 

 dicate as graphically as possible the relations sus- 

 tained by each system to its predecessors. In de- 

 fault of any such arrangement, the university 

 already possesses, in the works of Sir William 

 Hamilton, with their profound historical con- 

 sciousness, as fair a substitute as mere text-books 

 can furnish. 



The study of history, with reference to the 

 scientific methods involved in it, would in a uni- 

 versity be utterly impracticable. That there is a 

 causal sequence, which must sooner or later admit 

 of being formulated, in the tangled and devious 

 course of human affairs, we not only readily 

 grant, but we also steadfastly maintain. But 

 speculations of this sort are too hopelessly ab- 

 struse, and require too vast and minute a knowl- 

 edge of details, to be profitably included even in 

 the most advanced undergraduate course. His- 

 torical laws cannot, like physical laws, be obtained 

 from the inspection of a few crucial instances. 

 The enormous heterogeneity of social phenomena 



