CH. XIX.] ILLUSTRATIONS AND CRITICISMS. 241 



Such is the form of statement most favourable for Comte, 

 and at the same time I believe it to be the one which best 

 represents his permanent opinion. We shall presently see 

 that the generalization of the change from military to in- 

 dustrial modes of life is one of great value, and it is to the 

 thorough elaboration of it that much of the merit of Comte's 

 social philosophy is due. But I must first call attention to 

 the fatal defect in the above formula, the defect which 

 destroys its claim to be regarded as the law of progress. 

 That fatal defect is its total omission of moral feeling as a 

 factor in social evolution. Thougli he is far from committing 

 Mr. Buckle's absurdity of denying that there has been any 

 improvement in moral feeling, Comte nevertheless falls into 

 substantially the same error with Mr. Buckle, in attempting 

 to explain all social progress as due simply to a progressive 

 alteration of opinion. The error is one which seems to be 

 shared by two other eminent writers, — Mr. Mill and Mr. 

 Lewes. Here are the statements of the four : Mr. INIill says, 

 " We are justified in concluding that the order of human 

 progression in all respects will mainly depend on the order 

 of progression in the intellectual convictions of mankind." '" 

 Mr. Lewes says, somewhat more vaguely, " The evolutions 

 of Humanity correspond with the evolutions of Thought." ^ 

 Mr. Buckle says, " The progress of mankind depends on the 

 success wiJi which the laws of phenomena are investigated, 

 and on the extent to which a knowledge of those laws is 

 diffused," ^ Comte says, " It is not to the readers of this 

 work that I think it necessary to prove that ideas govern 

 the world, and that the social mecluiuism reposes ultimately 

 upon opinions." * 



Now it is not so much because of what these propositions 

 assert as because of what they omit, that they must be pro- 



1 Sys'xm of Logic, 4ih ud.t., vui. ii. p. 517. 



* Philosophy of the Sciences, p. 23. 



* Hvitory of Civilization, vol. ii. p. 1. 



* Philosophie Positive, torn. i. p. 48. 



▼OL. II. w 



