34 DARWINIAN AND SPENCERIAN 



is that there is no difference in kind between his method 

 and Darwin's, but only a difference in degree — that the 

 philosophical method is the scientific method writ large. 

 Within its own limits every branch of Science is striving 

 to create a minor philosophical system out of the materials 

 at its disposal. The generahzations of Science pass byj 

 imperceptible steps into philosophical generahzations, and 

 no hard and fast line can be drawn between them. If 

 the generahzations of one department of Science encroach 

 upon another or other Departments of Science, there may 

 be sufficient comprehensiveness to warrant the erection 

 of a philosophical system, such, for example, as in the 

 former use of the term Natural Philosophy to embrace 

 unified Physical Science.^ It is merely a question of 

 comprehensiveness as to what shall be considered a law 

 or principle of Science and what shall be raised to the 

 dignity of a philosophical system. 



If, therefore, it can be shown that underlying all the 

 generalizations of Science there is a still more compre- 

 hensive principle, that principle must, from the scientific 

 point of view, become a Natural Philosophy in the very 

 highest conception of the term. This is just what Spencer 

 devoted his hfe to proving, and we have accepted his 

 view that Evolution — whether his precise formula is the 

 best that can be conceived or not — ^is such an all-embracing 

 principle. Not that it is thereby proved that there is no 

 other principle at work in Nature, but that, so far as we 

 now know, Evolution is descriptive of Nature's actual 

 method of working, and that it is therefore amongst the 

 broadest generalizations that unified scientific knowledge 

 has hitherto given to Philosophy. More than this — 

 the recognition that there is what may be termed a general 

 mode of procedure in Nature has widened the horizon of 

 every worker in the realm of Science. While recognizing 

 that specialization of work is necessary in order to achieve 



• It is of interest to note that the chief publication of the Royal 

 Society, which embraces all ' natural knowledge ', still bears the title 

 ' Philosophical Transactions '. 



