518 PHILOSOPHICAL THOUGHT. 



III. 



54. In the foregoing account of the progress of Meta- 



Fer'hnerand . . 



E von physics — I.e., of the various solutions of the problem of 



H^rtmann. 



Eeality — I have not taken any notice of the writings of 

 Fechner nor of those of Eduard von Hartmann. The 

 former indeed is already well known to us, mainly from 

 the chapter which dealt with the psycho-physical view of 

 nature. Of this he was, if not the founder, yet perhaps 

 the most prominent representative during the nineteenth 

 century. Hartmann has had to be mentioned on several 

 occasions, notably in the chapter which dealt with 

 the problem of the Soul, where his doctrine of the 

 " Unconscious " was referred to. 



So far as Eechner is concerned, he elaborated, under 

 the early influences of the philosophy of nature, a dis- 

 tinct metaphysical conception which centred in the idea 

 of a personal Deity. His earlier writings, in which he 

 expounded these speculations, made extensive use of 

 poetical, imaginary, and fanciful — i.e., of purely sub- 

 jective views. As such they were akin to some of 

 Schelling's best productions, and stood in opposition 

 to Hegel, who always dwelt upon the necessity of 

 logical analysis, though it is true that frequently this 

 only thinly covers a great depth and wealth of imagin- 

 ation. The age, however, in which Fechner's earlier 

 writings appeared, had adopted, from Hegel as well as 

 from the historical and exact studies, the critical 

 temper, and was more intent upon drawing logical 

 consequences and arriving at clear definitions than in- 



