Dedication
TO
MY FATHER
Preface
The chapters which follow are not intended as even a slight sketch of the history of Thought since the Renaissance. Their object is more modest, i.e. to illustrate the thesis that mankind, being “incurably religious,” insists (however hopeless the enterprise may sometimes seem) upon interpreting the universe spiritually.
Thus it is quite natural that only a few typical names should find their places here: and often no sufficient reason may appear for one being included rather than another. For instance, in the tenth chapter, T. H. Green, F. H. Bradley, and A. J. Balfour are mentioned, while Martineau and the Cairds are passed over. Needless to say, there was no doctrinal prejudice here. Again, in the fourth chapter, Pascal is dealt with at some length, but Boehme, an equally important thinker, is ignored. And so on.
I should like to acknowledge here my obligation to Dr. Mercer, Canon of Chester, for his advice upon books, especially with regard to material for the final chapters. Also to the Rev. H. D. A. Major, Principal of Ripon Hall, for suggestions about the general plan of the book; and to the Rev. E. Harvey (a mathematical graduate of Trinity College, Dublin, at present studying medicine) for valuable information about the present position of psychic research.
J. C. H.
Altringham, March 23rd, 1920.
| CONTENTS | |
| CHAPTER I | |
| INTRODUCTORY | PAGE |
| Religion and Science defined. “Accurate and systematic knowledge” necessarily affects our “attitude to life.” Can our systematised knowledge sanction a religious attitude? This the “religious problem.” Religious harmony of Middle Ages. Will it return? | 1 |
| CHAPTER II | |
| THE DISSOLUTION OF THE OLD SYNTHESIS | |
| The old World-Scheme described. Aquinas and Scholasticism. Cusanus criticises conventional ideas of space. The New Astronomy of Copernicus. Bruno and an infinite universe. Galileo’s telescope. The New Physics and an automatic universe. The New Logic. | 8 |
| CHAPTER III | |
| GROWTH OF THE MECHANICAL THEORY | |
| The New Science creates a New Philosophy. Universality of Mechanics. Importance of Harvey’s discovery. Descartes extends the mechanical theory to cover physiology and psychology. Hobbes and a naturalistic ethic. Newton extends the operation of law from the earth to the heavens. Religious attitude of these thinkers. Significance of their thought. | 18 |
| CHAPTER IV | |
| SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY REACTIONS | |
| A Law of Thought. Spinoza. A Mechanical Universe spiritually interpreted. Natura Naturans, what it means. The Ethics. Spinoza’s mysticism. His personality. Leibniz and a philosophy of personality. His monads. Pascal. His significance. The Pensées. The eternal protest of religion. Man defies the universe. Results. | 28 |
| CHAPTER V | |
| RISE OF AN ANTI-RELIGIOUS SCIENCE | |
| Anti-clericalism in eighteenth-century France. Voltaire’s propaganda. Diderot and the Encyclopædists. Holbach’s System of Nature. Laplace’s astronomy. Lavoisier and the New Chemistry. Dalton’s atomic theory. Results for religion. | 42 |
| CHAPTER VI | |
| RISE OF GERMAN IDEALISM | |
| Importance, for the mechanical view, of Locke’s theory of knowledge. Weakness of speculative philosophy. Rise of the “critical” philosophy. Kant. He seeks to solve the problem: How is knowledge possible? Kant’s view of the mind’s function in knowledge. Mechanism a “form of thought,” subjective not objective. Kant’s view of reality. Can we know reality? The two worlds. | 52 |
| CHAPTER VII | |
| THE ROMANTIC MOVEMENT | |
| Kant clears the ground for a new philosophy. Significance of Rousseau. His attitude to culture. The new philosophy in Germany, its goal. Fichte. Hegel a rationalistic-romanticist. His method. Hegelianism. Significance for religious thought of Schleiermacher. The autonomy of religion and religious experience. | 62 |
| CHAPTER VIII | |
| MECHANISM AND LIFE | |
| Rise of bio-chemistry and bio-physics in Germany. Significance of these movements. The Origin of Species. Lamarck. The new geology. Darwin. Results of his theory. | 74 |
| CHAPTER IX | |
| MATERIALISM AND AGNOSTICISM | |
| Early decline of Romanticism in Germany. Comte and the “positive” philosophy. Materialism in Germany. Darwinism and the “argument from design.” Haeckel. Spencerian evolutionism. Spencer’s moral idealism. His philosophy of religion. Agnosticism. Rise of philosophic pessimism. Significance of Nietzsche. | 84 |
| CHAPTER X | |
| REACTIONS IN PHILOSOPHY | |
| German idealism naturalised in England by Coleridge and Carlyle. These writers described. Sartor Resartus. Idealism at Oxford, T. H. Green. F. H. Bradley. Balfour’s plea for a philosophy of science. Revival of Idealism in Germany. Lotze. His view of “values” and reality. | 98 |
| CHAPTER XI | |
| SOME RECENT TENDENCIES IN PHILOSOPHY | |
| A new philosophy of Science. Mach on “Economy of Thought.” “Abstractness” and artificiality of scientific method. Boutroux and natural law. James’ view of the mind carried further by Bergson. His view of the intellect. What it can, and what it cannot, do for us. Intuition. Indeterminism and Pluralism. Leibniz revived. Ward’s philosophy of personality. | 110 |
| CHAPTER XII | |
| SOME RECENT TENDENCIES IN SCIENCE | |
| The “New” Physics. New theories of matter. The “New” Biology. Driesch and neo-vitalism. The “New” Psychology. “Spiritualism.” The outlook for the future. | 125 |
| CHAPTER XIII | |
| SOME FINAL CONSIDERATIONS | |
| History of Thought supplies no material for dogmatising. Yet a progress of ideas is evident. Permanency of “spiritual” view of reality. Its continual revival. Sabatier’s saying. Need of freedom, alike for religion and for science. | 137 |