PREFACE 



sophy are cited and criticised ; and on every 

 occasion they are proved to be utterly irrecon- 

 cilable with the opinions characteristic of Mr. 

 Spencer's philosophy and adopted in this work. 

 The extravagant claim of Positivism to stand 

 for the whole of attainable scientific philosophy 

 is, I trust, finally disposed of when it is shown 

 that a system of philosophy has been con- 

 structed, out of purely scientific materials and 

 by the employment of scientific methods, which 

 opposes a direct negative to every one of the 

 theorems of which Positivism is made up. 



The phrase " Cosmic Philosophy," ^ by which 

 I have proposed to designate this system, has 

 not found favour with Mr. Spencer, who urges 

 the objection that all philosophies whatever may, 

 in a certain sense, be termed " Cosmic," inas- 

 much as all philosophies have had for their 

 subject matter the explanation of the universe 

 or Cosmos. In this objection there would no 

 doubt be much weight if any alternative term 

 could be proposed which should be ideally per- 

 fect. As it is, I cannot but think that the al- 

 ternative term suggested by Mr. Spencer is open 

 to a parallel objection of at least equal weight. 



^ This term was first suggested to me by Mr. Manton 

 Marble, some four years ago, though at that time neither he 

 nor I could have appreciated it at its full value. 



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