SUBJECTIVE AND OBJECTIVE METHODS 



entific intellect. For while the proclamation 

 of the subjective method, and its more or less 

 consistent employment, by Descartes and He- 

 gel, was logically based upon their erroneous 

 psychological theories concerning the sources 

 of knowledge ; on the other hand, this meta- 

 morphosis in the opinions of Comte had no 

 logical justification whatever, but was deter- 

 mined by circumstances of a purely personal 

 character. It was due partly to what I may 

 call the impatience of constructiveness, — the 

 imperious mental demand for the erection of 

 a system at whatever cost, — and partly upon 

 the exaggerated overestimate of self which is a 

 symptom of incipient monomania. 



In his youth Comte was an insatiable reader, 

 and before he began the work of constructing 

 the Positive Philosophy he had amassed vast 

 stores of learning in almost every department 

 of knowledge. There is no good reason for 

 doubting that in 1830, when the publication of 

 his great work began, he was, with a few seri- 

 ous exceptions, fully abreast of the best science 

 of the times. But in the course of the twelve 

 years during which the composition of this 

 work went on, he found it desirable to alter his 

 habits of study. Finding that constant atten- 

 tion to the progress of events interrupted the 

 consecutive development of his thoughts, he 

 began to abstain from all reading whatever, 

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