INTRODUCTION 



phization," or " the stripping off of the anthro- 

 pomorphic attributes with which primeval phi- 

 losophy clothed the unknown Power which is 

 manifested in phenomena." This single and 

 continuous process, marking the progress of 

 thought, Fiske substitutes for Comte's three 

 stages. The result of the process " involves the 

 extrusion of the notion of a volitional cause 

 altogether, and leaves us with the conception of 

 a Cause . . . which,equally with the anthropo- 

 morphic conceptions which have preceded it, is 

 the proper object of religious feeling, but con- 

 cerning the nature of which — in itself, and 

 apart from its phenomenal manifestations — the 

 human mind can form no verifiable hypothe- 

 sis." The doctrine thus defined is the one which 

 Fiske now calls " Cosmism," the name being, 

 as he in substance explains in the Preface to 

 his book in speaking of the term " Cosmic Phi- 

 losophy," his own, and not approved by Spen- 

 cer. " Cosmism," as thus defined, is opposed 

 to Comte's Positivism as truly as to Anthropo- 

 morphism. " Cosmism " is of course in sub- 

 stance the Spencerian doctrine of the Unknow- 

 able Power, and is contrasted with Positivism in 

 view of the fact that Comte admits no unknown 

 power behind phenomena. A reference occurs, 

 in the latter part of the chapter, to Spencer's 

 " Reasons for Dissenting from the Philosophy 

 liii 



