INTRODUCTORY. 7 9 



modern philosophy have been written, scarcely any notice 

 was taken during the first two-thirds of the century of 

 philosophy outside of Germany ; in fact, such did not 

 exist, according to the opinion of many eminent German 

 thinkers. The contempt with which the Scottish philo- 

 sophy of Common-sense and the French Eclecticism of 

 Victor Cousin were regarded, prevented for a long time 

 a due appreciation of many valuable new ideas, which 

 with less ostentation, nevertheless, made their way in 

 neighbouring countries. The enormous bulk of work 

 which issued annually from the German Universities, in 

 almost every field of knowledge, absorbed the attention 

 to such an extent that no space or time was left for the 

 recognition of what was done outside of academic circles 

 or in other countries. As I mentioned before, the writ- 

 ings of Schopenhauer did a great deal to break down the 

 supposed privilege of a professorial class to settle the 

 highest and most important questions. About the same 

 time two eminent foreigners began to attract the atten- 

 tion of German students as well as of the non-academic 

 public. These were Ernest Renan in France and Charles 

 Darwin in England. A knowledge of Auguste Comte, 

 though so much before Eenan, and still more, an appreci- 

 ation of the earlier English psychology of Mill, Bain, and 

 Spencer, belongs to even a later period of German philo- 

 sophy. Nevertheless, these less ostentatious beginnings 

 of the new thought in England and in France have 

 probably done more than the voluminous writings of 

 German philosophers to place philosophical thought in 

 an entirely altered position during the last quarter of the 

 century. 



