x.j Postscript on Mr. Buckle. 195 



strangely beautiful scene we enter upon quite a Pla- 

 tonic dialogue, in which the author seeks to expound 

 his new conception of causation, while Mr. Buckle 

 occasionally interposes with " I do not follow you, I 

 confess," or " That seems philosophical enough," quite 

 after the manner of the <patveTai or ovk efiotye Bofcel 

 of Sokrates and his interlocutors. This long conver- 

 sation, or series of conversations, is perhaps the most 

 interesting portion of the book. Yet Mr. Buckle 

 evidently does not get a thorough hold of what Mr. 

 Stuart-Glcnnie means by defining causation as in- 

 volving " not merely the conception of Uniformity of 

 Sequence," but also that of "Mutuality of Coexist- 

 ence, or Mutual Determination ; " and we must 

 confess that to us also his meaning seems by no 

 means distinctly set forth or adequately elucidated. 

 It is to be hoped that in future volumes this point 

 will be thoroughly cleared up, for we are told that 

 the " Change in our conceptions of the Causes of 

 Change," which the author has discovered to be the 

 " Ultimate Law of History," is neither more nor less 

 than " an advance from the conception of One-sided 

 Determination to that of Mutual Determination." That 

 this statement is fraught with meaning for Mr. Stuart- 

 Glennie there can be no doubt ; he recurs to it again 

 and again as if it were a sort of talismanic formula 



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