COSMIC PHILOSOPHY 



less ? " * I think not. We might say as much 

 of Oken or Hegel, but hardly of Stewart or 

 Ampere — far less of Comte. Mr. Spencer 

 speaks more justly of his great antagonist when 

 he says, "Let it by no means be supposed 

 from all I have said, that I do not regard M. 

 Comte's speculations as of great value. True 

 or untrue, his system as a whole has doubtless 

 produced important and salutary revolutions of 

 thought in many minds ; and will doubtless do 

 so in many more. Doubtless, too, not a few of 

 those who dissent from his general views have 

 been healthfully stimulated by the considera- 

 tion of them. The presentation of scientific know- 

 ledge and method as a whole, whether rightly or 

 wrongly coordinated, cannot have failed greatly to 

 widen the conceptions of most of his readers. And 

 he has done especial service by familiarizing 

 men with the idea of a social science based on 

 the other sciences. Beyond which benefits re- 

 sulting from the general character and scope of 

 his philosophy, I believe that there are scat- 

 tered through his pages many large ideas that 

 are valuable not only as stimuli, but for their 

 actual truth." 



This passage comes so near to appreciating 

 Comte's true philosophic position, that one is 

 surprised to find Mr. Spencer, after all, stat- 

 ing that position inadequately. Though he sees 



* Huxley, Lay Sermons , p. 172. 

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