COSMIC PHILOSOPHY 



soon come to connote divers unessential opin- 

 ions of which philosophy would be glad to rid 

 itself. Nevertheless we cannot get along with- 

 out names. If only to avoid tedious circum- 

 locution, some name is needed by which to de- 

 signate this philosophy which has been rudely 

 delineated. The required name is suggested by 

 the definition of the scope of philosophy given 

 in the second chapter of this work. It was there 

 shown that, while acknowledging a common 

 genesis with science and with ordinary know- 

 ledge, philosophy has still to concern itself with 

 those widest truths which hold throughout all 

 classes of phenomena, and with which science, 

 restricted as it is to the investigation of special 

 classes of phenomena, is incompetent to deal. In 

 other words, we declared the scope of our phi- 

 losophy to be the study of the universe or Cos- 

 mos ; and in accordance with this definition, we 

 may fitly designate our philosophy as Cosmic 

 Philosophy. We shall hereafter discover in this 

 epithet sundry points of fitness not yet indi- 

 cated. But for the present we may go on to 

 use the phrase whenever required, intrusting 

 our complete justification to the inquiries which 

 are to follow. 



In conclusion, let me say a few words in 

 reply to the objection, sometimes urged from 

 metaphysical quarters, that such a philosophy 



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