﻿514 
  PROFESSOR 
  ALISON 
  ON 
  THE 
  BELIEF 
  

  

  a 
  proof 
  of 
  his 
  having 
  mistaken 
  their 
  illustrative 
  language 
  for 
  a 
  metaphysical 
  

   opinion;" 
  — 
  and 
  when 
  we 
  remember 
  the 
  unparalleled 
  popularity 
  of 
  Dr 
  Brown's 
  

   Lectures 
  since 
  his 
  death, 
  which 
  has 
  no 
  doubt 
  led 
  many 
  to 
  suppose 
  that 
  he 
  is 
  now 
  

   regarded 
  as 
  the 
  first 
  authority 
  on 
  these 
  subjects 
  in 
  Scotland 
  ; 
  — 
  when 
  we 
  find, 
  

   again, 
  Lord 
  Jeffrey 
  admitting 
  that 
  " 
  Dr 
  Reid's 
  subversion 
  of 
  the 
  ideal 
  system, 
  

   or 
  confutation 
  of 
  that 
  hypothesis 
  which 
  represents 
  the 
  immediate 
  objects 
  of 
  the 
  

   mind 
  in 
  perception 
  as 
  certain 
  images 
  or 
  pictures 
  of 
  external 
  objects 
  conve3 
  r 
  ed 
  by 
  

   the 
  senses 
  to 
  the 
  sensorium, 
  had 
  been 
  performed 
  with 
  complete 
  success 
  ;" 
  but 
  

   adding 
  " 
  that 
  after 
  considering 
  the 
  subject 
  with 
  some 
  attention, 
  he 
  has 
  not 
  been 
  

   able 
  to 
  perceive 
  how 
  the 
  destruction 
  of 
  the 
  Ideal 
  Theory 
  can 
  be 
  held 
  as 
  a 
  con- 
  

   futation 
  of 
  those 
  reasonings, 
  which 
  have 
  brought 
  into 
  question 
  the 
  popular 
  

   faith 
  on 
  this 
  subject 
  ;" 
  {Edinburgh 
  Review, 
  vol. 
  hi., 
  p. 
  281 
  ; 
  or 
  Contribution* 
  

   to 
  Edinburgh 
  Review, 
  vol. 
  ii., 
  p. 
  604) 
  — 
  when, 
  on 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  we 
  find 
  it 
  stated 
  

   by 
  Sir 
  William 
  Hamilton, 
  that 
  Dr 
  Brown 
  is, 
  from 
  first 
  to 
  last, 
  in 
  one 
  and 
  

   all 
  of 
  his 
  strictures 
  on 
  Reid's 
  doctrine 
  of 
  Perception, 
  wholly 
  in 
  error 
  ;" 
  but, 
  

   " 
  that 
  nevertheless 
  there 
  are 
  ambiguities 
  and 
  inconsistencies 
  of 
  Reid 
  himself, 
  in 
  

   this 
  the 
  most 
  important 
  part 
  of 
  his 
  philosophy, 
  which 
  ought 
  to 
  be 
  exposed, 
  and 
  

   so 
  deprived 
  of 
  their 
  evil 
  influence 
  ;" 
  ( 
  Works 
  of 
  Reid, 
  p. 
  820) 
  — 
  " 
  and, 
  in 
  particular, 
  

   that 
  so 
  far 
  from 
  confuting 
  Idealism, 
  the 
  doctrine 
  of 
  Reid 
  and 
  Stewart 
  affords 
  it 
  

   the 
  best 
  of. 
  all 
  possible 
  foundations;" 
  {Works 
  of 
  Reid, 
  p. 
  820) 
  — 
  and, 
  again, 
  by 
  

   Morell, 
  that 
  although 
  Reid 
  " 
  performed 
  an 
  inestimable 
  service 
  to 
  philosophy, 
  

   by 
  shewing 
  that 
  certain 
  simple 
  processes 
  must 
  be 
  viewed 
  as 
  ultimate 
  and 
  primi- 
  

   tive 
  facts 
  in 
  our 
  constitution, 
  — 
  the 
  benefit 
  of 
  which 
  is 
  still 
  to 
  be 
  developed 
  in 
  coming 
  

   generations, 
  — 
  yet 
  that 
  the 
  false, 
  or 
  at 
  least 
  inadequate 
  view 
  which 
  he 
  has 
  taken 
  

   of 
  the 
  reflective 
  method 
  in 
  mental 
  philosophy, 
  has 
  caused 
  a 
  want 
  of 
  comprehen- 
  

   siveness 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  legitimate 
  objects 
  or 
  extent 
  of 
  philosophy 
  at 
  large 
  ;" 
  {MorelVs 
  

   Philosophy, 
  vol. 
  ii., 
  p. 
  51) 
  — 
  I 
  think 
  I 
  have 
  quoted 
  enough 
  to 
  shew, 
  that 
  a 
  general 
  

   distrust 
  of 
  all 
  speculations 
  which 
  led 
  such 
  men 
  to 
  such 
  variety 
  of 
  opinion, 
  and 
  

   despondency 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  possibility 
  of 
  any 
  fixed 
  or 
  useful 
  principles 
  being 
  established, 
  

   by 
  scientific 
  examination 
  of 
  the 
  elementary 
  mental 
  processes 
  to 
  which 
  they 
  referred, 
  

   is 
  not 
  unreasonable. 
  And 
  if, 
  nevertheless, 
  we 
  hold, 
  as 
  I 
  think 
  we 
  ought 
  to 
  do, 
  by 
  

   the 
  maxim, 
  " 
  that 
  when 
  Reason 
  and 
  Philosophy 
  have 
  erred, 
  it 
  is 
  by 
  themselves 
  

   alone 
  that 
  their 
  error 
  can 
  be 
  corrected," 
  — 
  I 
  trust 
  it 
  will 
  not 
  be 
  deemed 
  a 
  useless 
  

   or 
  unprofitable 
  discussion, 
  to 
  endeavour 
  to 
  shew 
  that 
  when 
  the 
  subject 
  is 
  calmly 
  

   reviewed, 
  and 
  verbal 
  ambiguities 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  possible 
  avoided, 
  there 
  is 
  . 
  really 
  no 
  

   such 
  difference 
  of 
  opinion 
  among 
  these 
  authors, 
  as 
  will 
  justify 
  the 
  strong 
  expres- 
  

   sions 
  of 
  dissent 
  which 
  I 
  have 
  quoted 
  ; 
  but 
  that 
  the 
  differences 
  of 
  opinion 
  are 
  

   either 
  verbal 
  only, 
  or 
  relate 
  to 
  matters 
  ulterior 
  to 
  the 
  main 
  points 
  of 
  controversy, 
  

   which 
  have 
  interested 
  the 
  human 
  mind, 
  in 
  all 
  ages, 
  on 
  this 
  subject; 
  and, 
  in 
  parti- 
  

   cular, 
  ulterior 
  to 
  those 
  on 
  which 
  it 
  was 
  the 
  object 
  of 
  Reid 
  and 
  Stewart 
  to 
  esta- 
  

   blish 
  fixed 
  and 
  satisfactory 
  principles 
  ; 
  and 
  that 
  there 
  are 
  certain 
  general 
  truths 
  

  

  