Chapter I: 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 Pensees._ 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 Encyclopaedists. 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

RELIGION AND SCIENCE