104 EVOLUTION AND ETHICS n 



Note 11 (p. 69). 



In ancient times it was the fashion, even among 

 the Greeks themselves, to derive all Greek wisdom 

 from Eastern sources; not long ago it was as 

 generally denied that Greek philosophy had any 

 connection with Oriental speculation; it seems 

 probable, however, that the truth lies between these 

 extremes. 



The Ionian intellectual movement does not stand 

 alone. It is only one of several sporadic indications 

 of the working of some powerful mental ferment over 

 the whole of the area comprised between the ^Egean 

 and Northern Hindostan during the eighth, seventh, 

 and sixth centuries before our era. In these three 

 hundred years, prophetism attained its apogee among 

 the Semites of Palestine ; Zoroasterism grew and 

 became the creed of a conquering race, the Iranic 

 Aryans ; Buddhism rose and spread with marvellous 

 rapidity among the Aryans of Hindostan ; while 

 scientific naturalism took its rise among the Aryans 

 of Ionia. It would be difficult to find another three 

 centuries which have given birth to four events of 

 equal importance. All the principal existing 

 religions of mankind have grown out of the first 

 three : while the fourth is the little spring, now 

 swollen into the great stream of positive science. So 

 far as physical possibilities go, the prophet Jeremiah 

 and the oldest Ionian philosopher might have met 

 and conversed. If they had done so, they would 

 probably have disagreed a good deal ; and it is in- 

 teresting to reflect that their discussions might have 



