■408 Review of " A Lecture on the Sdnkhya Philosophy " [No. 5. 



Ballantyne endeavours to show the coincidence of thought of the 

 Sankhya in several respects, with some of the newest systems of phi- 

 losophy, are judicious, and define clearly the points which must be 

 thoroughly known, before an understanding of the system is possible ; 

 but in his comparison he goes sometimes too far. There is no doubt, 

 to all philosophers of any time or clime the same materials are given 

 for their speculation, viz. the phenomena of external and internal 

 nature, and it must be expected, that in many points their ideas must 

 concur ; but there is yet a vast difference between the rough attempts 

 of the commencement of speculation and the ideas of such thinkers as 

 Fichte, Schelling and Herbart. Fichte fur instance would probably 

 be not well satisfied, if his "ego" (the identity of the object which is 

 thought on, and of the subject, by which it is thought on) would be 

 compared with the "ego" or Ahamkara of the Sankhya which is a 

 production of nature (that is to say, which is merely objective) finite 

 and altogether opposite to idealistic notions. Also Herbart' s " essence 

 that assumes different properties which come before us in sensation," 

 is in every way opposite to the " indiscrete" of the Sankhya ; but this 

 view may be owing to the conception of Mr. Morell (in his " History 

 of Philosophy") which is far from exact. 



It is to be hoped, that Dr. Ballantyne's labours will contribute 

 to revive the zeal for a more thorough study of Hindu philosophy, 

 especially in India, where the literature of the Hindus is not, as 

 in Europe, estimated and studied according to its deserts. Dr. Bal- 

 lantyne has done a real service to the friends of philosophy by his 

 publication of the Sutras ; a beginning has thereby been made of a more 

 thorough acquaintance with one of the principal elements of ancient 

 Hindu life ; at the same time there remains a wide field for exertion 

 viz. the publishing and translating of the principal works of each school 

 of philosophy, and we cannot forbear thinking, that the present gener- 

 ation cannot escape censure, if they neglect to use the means at their 

 disposal to further such an undertaking for which by their situation 

 they seem especially called upon. 



