CHAPTER IX 

 PHILOSOPHY AS AN ORGANON 



THE absence of Logic, as a distinct sci- 

 ence, from the Comtean classification, 

 has by most critics been rightly re- 

 garded as a serious defect. Nevertheless, be- 

 fore we can intelligently find fault with Comte, 

 we must make sure that we understand his 

 grounds for assigning to Logic no independent 

 position. The explanation is more deeply im- 

 plicated with his fundamental conception of the 

 Scope of Philosophy than has generally been 

 suspected. But let us begin by considering the 

 more obvious aspects of the case. 



The science of logic consists of two portions, 

 — the doctrine of the syllogism, and the gen- 

 eral theory of induction, the latter comprising 

 a codification on the one hand of the methods 

 of research, and on the other hand of the laws 

 of evidence. But this twofold province of logic 

 can hardly be said to have been clearly indicated 

 until the publication of Mr. Mill's treatise. 

 From the days of Aristotle down to the time 

 when Comte wrote the " Philosophic Positive," 

 the logic officially recognized and taught as 



V 



