424 PHILOSOPHICAL THOUGHT. 



cipline and, on the other side, the establishment of 

 leading aspects of thought, whereby firstly to gain know- 

 ledge, and secondly to grasp and organise it. During 

 the first half of the nineteenth century so many new 

 s. fields of research were opened out, especially on the 



Interests of 



academic Continent, by the labours of the Academies and Univer- 



teaenmg 



sities, that the necessity was felt of gathering the newly 

 accumulated knowledge into systems and of organising 

 it under leading ideas. Accordingly it was the age of 

 the great scientific systems of the mathematicians and 

 naturalists in France, and of the equally celebrated 

 systems of philosophy in Germany. Academic teaching 

 then emphasied, perhaps unduly, the constructive ideas 

 which governed those systems. Gradually, however, the 

 critical spirit acquired a mastery over the dogmatic and 

 constructive spirit. The necessity was felt of sifting the 

 existing knowledge, much of which proved to be in- 

 correct ; also of examining the leading ideas and theo- 

 retical aspects under which it had been organised. 

 Many of the conclusions which had been drawn 

 appeared premature, and some of them dangerous. 

 Theoretical and systematic teaching acquired accord- 

 ingly much more caution and circumspection, and this 

 tendency has been encouraged and strengthened by 

 another influence which has made itself increasingly 

 felt in quite recent times. 

 4. This is the practical influence : the demands of actual 



and of prac- 

 tical life. }if e w jth its specific problems and difficulties. Every- 

 where these have made themselves felt, though in the 

 different countries in different ways. The German 

 Universities which, during the first half of the century, 



