vi THE EMPIRICAL ORDER 107 



philosophies of the world. We may broadly sum up the 

 position in a couple of sentences. Slowly asserting itself 

 against the illusions and confusions of primitive thought, 

 common sense has laid down the lines of an empirical order 

 in the world of perception. But this order renders no 

 adequate account of the foundation problems. For their 

 solution a theory of reality is required, and theories arise 

 with a coherence and cogency of their own, but distinct 

 from, and even opposed to the teachings of common sense. 

 Thus there come to be two orders of thought, and the 

 problem of their relation constitutes the task set to the 

 higher stages of mental development. The work of the 

 two lower stages is essentially to evolve the empirical order, 

 that of the higher stages is to relate the empirical order to 

 the underlying conditions of reality. 



