56 PHILOSOPHICAL THOUGHT. 



principle in human nature, to the Will, an important, 

 not to say the most prominent, position, has probably 

 succeeded more than any other in impressing the philo- 

 sophical consciousness of the present age. This explains 

 why the philosophy of Schopenhauer, neglected for a 

 long time, and repellent in many of its features, has 

 nevertheless latterly attracted and held the attention 

 of thinkers of very different schools, and has led to so 

 many minor developments. 



The dualism which pervades all modern thought will 

 occupy us quite as much as the attempts towards unifica- 

 tion. At the same time, the study of the various 

 attempts to give expression to the idea that in the life 

 of the mind, be it in the individual, society, or history, 

 the active principle occupies the primary position, will 

 lead us naturally on to the social question which, as I 

 said, will form the subject of one of the last chapters 

 of this section. In many ways we shall find that all 

 other developments more or less converge upon it. 

 47. It will be seen from this rough sketch of the manner 



Plan of this . i_ T uj 'j AI. -j c 



history. in which 1 propose to subdivide the wide region or 

 philosophical thought, that I do not intend to follow in 

 any strictness either a biographical, or a systematic, or 

 a chronological arrangement. 1 In fact, I intend as little 



1 The plan I have adopted may the problem of Religion, and the 



best be understood by saying that problem of Society, have only in 



the History of Philosophical Thought recent times been independently 



is considered to be identical with a treated and received special names. 



History of Philosophical Problems. The attempt to deal with History 



Most of these problems are as old of Philosophy according to this 



as philosophy itself, and go back plan is not new, but has been more 



into antiquity, although some of or less definitely adopted by various 



them, such as the problem of Know- prominent thinkers of this age. I 



ledge, the problem of the Beautiful, have only become more intimately 



