CHAPTER II. 

 EARLY SCIENCE-PHILOSOPHY. 



The preceding chapter has traced that development of thought 

 which characterized part of the early Greek philosophy, following 

 its course, as it has pursued two main channels, until there have 

 been introduced the work of Plato on the one hand, and that of the 

 Atomists on the other. Each of these branches of Greek thought 

 shows in its own way unmistakable effects of the fountain-head of 

 religion, whence they both derive their origin. But attention 

 has been given, almost entirely, to the cosmological aspect of the 

 development. In the earlier writers, it is true that that constitu- 

 ted, practically, their only inquiry, but, with Plato, the facts are 

 much different. Back of Plato was the work of Socrates and be- 

 hind Socrates the Sophistic movement, and before the Greek period 

 is completed it will be necessary to devote some time to a presenta- 

 tion of the trend of thought which culminated in Plato and Aris- 

 totle in order to discover the specific nature of philosophy, and in 

 order also to trace the effects of their conclusions upon subsequent 

 history. But before that task is entered upon, it will be well to 

 delineate certain developments of a special character, which origin- 

 ated outside the Greek nation, many of which, indeed, occurred 

 long before the dawn of Grecian history. 



In the outline of the second of those philosophic streams, 

 which flowed from the Greek religion the scientific, as it has been 

 termed notice has already been made of certain eddies in the main 

 current, which finally assumed strength enough to break the banks 

 of the channel and to start out as little rivulets, gradually to develop 

 into special sciences. The astronomical endeavours of Anaxi- 

 mander, the physiological work of Empedocles are examples of this 

 tendency. Not only was this evidenced in the scientific class, but, 

 even among the mystic Pythagoreans, there developed a genuine 

 interest for mathematics, which resulted in no small contribution 

 to that branch of knowledge. 



But it would be a great mistake to suppose that the Greeks 

 were the first to devote themselves to these studies. Sir Henry 



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