1 68 Mr. Buckle's Fallacies. [ix. 



be called negative philosophy, or negativism, in broad 

 distinction from positive philosophy, which aims at 

 establishing from incontrovertible data a system of 

 results comprising all that it is in the power of the 

 human mind to know. Negativism and positivism, then, 

 constitute two opposite phases of human thought. 

 As examples of negative thinkers, we have Hobbes, 

 Voltaire, Lessing, and Rousseau ; while as instances of 

 positive thinkers we may cite Bacon, Leibnitz, Newton, 

 and Spencer. Scepticism is identical with neither of 

 these philosophies, though it has some points in 

 common with both. Scepticism, indeed, is not a philo- 

 sophy at all ; it is a no-philosophy — a transition state 

 where, robbed of its belief, the mind rests not, but 

 stays unresting, in dreary incertitude and distressful 

 vacillation, until it finds refuge in belief again. 



Bearing in mind this meaning of the word, we can 

 safely proceed to examine the proposition before us. 

 We do not think it altogether probable that Mr. 

 Buckle would, on mature reflection, lay down this 

 law about scepticism as a universal one, operative 

 alike in all stages of progress ; but, as he makes no 

 limitations to it in the course of his work, we must 

 discuss it here in relation to the three stages of 

 mental evolution, and see whether or not it is alike 

 applicable to all. 



