INTRODUCTION 



author's contributions to the doctrine of evo- 

 lution. The sole justification of the sharply- 

 limited editorial labor here attempted must lie 

 in the aid that it gives to the reader of this book 

 in his efforts to conceive our author's final out- 

 come. 



I shall therefore devote this Introduction to 

 the treatment of the foregoing topics in the 

 order just stated. The first division of my ac- 

 count shall follow the sequence of Fiske's chap- 

 ters as far as chapter xxi. of Part II. of the 

 " Cosmic Philosophy." The second division 

 shall discuss Fiske's contributions to ethical and 

 religious problems, in the closing chapters of 

 the work. In my //^/r^ division I shall consider 

 Fiske's later philosophical development. In the 

 fourth division I shall briefly indicate the rela- 

 tion of the " Cosmic Philosophy " to those of 

 Spencer's works which were published after its 

 completion, and shall sum up the evidences as 

 to the sorts of change that Fiske would have 

 been likely to make in his book had he rewrit- 

 ten it. 



Of necessity, the discussion, especially of 

 Fiske's earlier chapters, in bringing out what is 

 distinctive of his own contributions, must men- 

 tion somewhat miscellaneous details, and so 

 must produce a comparatively disunited series 

 of impressions upon the reader's mind. It has 

 XXV ii 



