OF THE SOUL. 195 



standing of the hidden meaning which underlies those 

 time-honoured terms, those traditional expressions which, 

 almost from the dawn of thought, have not only governed 

 philosophical reasoning but also embody all that is 

 most valuable in poetry and literature. These time- 

 honoured words describe in fact and tend to fix the 

 eternal problems which force themselves upon the human 

 mind, denoting its highest interests and aspirations. The 

 problems of science may and will change with the pro- 

 gress of knowledge, with altered attitudes of thought, and 

 with novel practical demands : the great problems of 

 philosophy remain always the same. With the intention 

 of emphasising this, as also with the desire to accom- 

 modate myself to the usage of language and common- 

 sense and the interests of all intelligent readers, I 

 propose to arrange my narrative of the courses and 

 development of philosophical thought under well-known 

 words or terms which will, without special definition, 

 introduce us into discussions which have always been, 

 and still are, of foremost importance. Such words, * 4. 



Words 



e.g., as the Soul, Truth or Knowledge, Eeality, Nature, marking 

 Duty, Beauty, the Spirit, Society, &c., convey to the ^"j^ 

 mind of every thinking person, without any laboured problemSi 

 definition, an idea of some momentous subject imme- 

 diately connected with our deepest interests and prac- 

 tical endeavours. The whole of philosophical thought 

 can thus be arranged as the attempt to answer such 

 questions as, What is the Soul ? What is meant by 

 truth, duty, reality, &c. ? The adoption of such familiar 

 words will serve a double purpose. It will connect 

 philosophical thought with general literature and Ian- 



