318 PHILOSOPHICAL THOUGHT. 



traditional Continental philosophy had led to scepticism 

 and pessimism, and was generally — though erroneously 

 — believed to be fruitless, the critical spirit attacked the 

 principles of exact science and of moral conduct, it must 

 have been with some surprise that it was found that 

 this critical analysis had been begun and successfully 

 practised long ago by prominent thinkers in this country. 

 A growing appreciation in Germany of the writings of 

 Mill and Spencer and other English thinkers has been 

 the consequence. 



Looking at philosophical thought in the nineteenth 

 century as a whole, we may thus say that it is based 

 upon two independent traditions : that which prevailed 

 in this country and that which prevailed on the Con- 

 tinent. They were to some extent complementary, and 

 may, besides, in other ways, be characterised by the 

 different position which they took up to the problem 

 of knowledge. 



The problem of knowledge presents among others two 

 principal sides to the philosophic thinker. He may 

 inquire as to the means and methods of extending 

 knowledge, or he may inquire into the difference of 

 correct and incorrect, of true and false, of certain and 

 doubtful knowledge. Each of these inquiries will lead 

 in due course to the other. We cannot discuss the 

 means of increasing knowledge without some kind of 

 definition of what knowledge is. . And on the other 

 hand, we cannot discuss the question of certainty and 

 validity of knowledge without casting a glance at the 

 large body of actually existing and increasing knowledge. 

 For, in actual practice, the pursuit and extension of 



