THE EVOLUTION IDEA 145 



tainly had an entirely different trend from those 

 of Bacon and Descartes. He stimulated the 

 speculations of Diderot, Maupertuis, Bonnet, 

 Robinet, and others of the speculative writers; 

 his principle of Continuity doubtless directly or 

 indirectly influenced the natural philosopher 

 Goethe. In short, he founded a 'school' with his 

 continuity doctrines, and his philosophy ruled the 

 schools of Germany for nearly a century.^ 



In those days of few printed books and con- 

 centrated thought, scattered suggestions gen- 

 erated into opinions and theories. They are the 

 minor features of the environment of the evolu- 

 tion idea. Thus we find Spinoza (1632-1677) 

 taking ground similar to that of Leibnitz, but 

 more firm, in regard to natural causation: "The 

 natural laws and principles by which all things 

 are made and some forms are changed into others, 

 are everywhere and through all time the same." 

 About 1661, it is believed, Spinoza composed his 

 SJiort Treatise on God, on Man, and His Well- 

 being. 



The term "Nature" is put more into the fore- 

 ground in the Treatise, a point which might be urged 

 as evidence of Bruno's influence — the dialogues, 

 moreover, being specially concerned to establish the 

 unity, infinity and self-containedness of Nature ; but 



iCompare W. R. Sorley: Leibnitz, Enc. Brit., vol. 16, pp. 386-90. 



