Mr. Buckle * Fallacies. 151 



ability the true state of the case, he proceeds to 

 contradict himself, by setting to work to show 

 that a people advance in civilization according as 

 they advance in knowledge, leaving the moral ele- 

 ment entirely out of the question. As this is one 

 of the most important points in his whole work, 

 and one which has excited hot discussion, we 

 shall proceed to examine it at some length, taking 

 up in succession the several steps of the argument. 

 Amid much that is obscurely stated, and much 

 that is irrelevant to the subject, we trace the fol- 

 lowing line of propositions : 



I. The native faculties of men do not improve, 

 so that we must look for progress only in their 

 acquisitions. 



II. They acquire but few " moral truths," which 

 "remain stationary;" but they acquire many 

 " intellectual truths," which are " continually ad- 

 vancing." 



III. Because civilization cannot be regulated 

 by the " stationary agent," it must be regulated 

 solely by intellectual progress. 



Let us see whether these statements will bear a 

 critical examination. 1 



1 [This argument of "Intellects. Morals" was regarded by Mr. 

 Buckle as the fundamental position of his book. See Stuart-Glennie's 

 Pilgrim Memories, p. 196.] 



