xvni PREFACE 



and constitutive principle of real existence ; all the 

 other causes, Material, Formal, Efficient, become its 

 derivatives as well as the objects of its systematising 

 control. A philosophy is thus presented in which 

 the Ideal is indeed central and determining, and 

 therefore real, and the measure of all other reaUty; a 

 philosophy that, for the first time, might with accu- 

 racy be named Absolute Idealism, did not the title 

 Personal express its nature still better. 



For this metaphysical scheme I am not here argu- 

 ing, of course. I am simply putting it forward in 

 all its naked dogmatism, with no other object, just 

 now, than to get its points apprehended. For this 

 purpose it may be further helpful to point out its 

 historical affiliations. A natural mistake would be 

 to confound it with the theory of Berkeley ; ^ and 

 certainly its first proposition substantially repeats 

 Berkeley's main assertion, that nothing really exists 

 but "spirits and their ideas," — taking Berkeley to 

 mean by " ideas," in every spirit but God, conscious 

 experiences, whether "inner" or "outer." But with 

 this single proposition, the resemblance of the pres- 

 ent theory to Berkele3^'s doctrine ends. Its kinship 

 is rather with the system of Kant ; and yet there 

 would be a great misapprehension in identifying it 



1 As a reviewer of TJie Conception of God, in the New York Nation, 

 not long since did. 



