KE 4486 HARVAR COLLEGE WORKS BY HERBERT SPENCER. Miscellaneous Writings. EDUCATION-INTELLECTUAL, MORAL, AND PHYSICAL. 1 vol., 12mo. 283 pages. Cloth. ILLUSTRATIONS OF UNIVERSAL PROGRESS. 1 vol., large 12mo. 470 pages. Cloth. ESSAYS-MORAL, POLITICAL, AND ESTHETIC. 1 vol., large 12mo. 418 pages. SOCIAL STATICS; or, the Conditions Essential to Human Happiness Specified, and the first of them Developed. 1 vol., large 12mo. 628 pages. THE CLASSIFICATION OF THE SCIENCES: to which is added Reasons for Dissenting from the Philosophy of M. Comte. A pamphlet of 50 pages. Fine paper. System of Philosophy. FIRST PRINCIPLES, IN TWO PARTS-I. The Unknowable; II. 66 66 Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1864, BY D. APPLETON & CO., In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for the PREFACE TO THE AMERICAN EDITION. THE present volume is the first of a series designed to un fold the principles of a new philosophy. It is divided into two parts: the aim of the first being to determine the true sphere of all rational investigation, and of the second, to elucidate those fundamental and universal principles which science has established within that sphere, and which are to constitute the basis of the system. The scheme of truth developed in these First Principles is complete in itself, and has its independent value; but it is designed by the author to serve for guidance and verification in the construction of the succeeding and larger portions of his philosophic plan. Having presented in his introductory volume so much of the general principles of Physics as is essential to the development of his method, Mr. Spencer enters upon the subject of Organic nature. The second work of the series is to be the Principles of Biology-a systematic statement of the facts and laws which constitute the Science of Life. It is not to be an encyclopedic and exhaustive treatise upon this vast subject, but such a compendious presentation of its data and general principles as shall interpret the method of nature, afford a clear understanding of the questions involved, and prepare for further inquiries. This work is now published in quarterly numbers, of from 80 to 96 pages. Four of these parts have already appeared, and some idea of the course and character of the discussion may be formed by observing the titles to the chapters, which are as follows: PART FIRST: I. Organic Matter; II. The Actions of Forces on Organic Matter; III. The Reactions of Organic Matter on Forces; IV. Proximate Definition of Life; V. The Correspondence between Life and its Circumstances; VI. The Degree of Life varies with the Degree of Correspondence; VII. Scope of Biology. PART SECOND: I. Growth; II. Development; III. Function; IV. Waste and Repair; V. Adaptation; VI. Individuality; VII. Genesis; VIII. Heredity; IX. Variation; X. Genesis, Heredity, and Variation; XI. Classification; XII. Distribution. The Principles of Biology will be followed by the Principles of Psychology; that is, Mr. Spencer will pass from the consideration of Life to the study of Mind. This subject will be regarded in the light of the great truths of Biology previously established; the connections of life and mind will be traced; the evolution of the intellectual faculties in their due succession, and in correspondence with the conditions of the environment, will be unfolded, and the whole subject of mind will be treated, not by the narrow metaphysical methods, but in its broadest aspect, as a phase of nature's order which can only be comprehended in the light of her universal plan. The fourth work of the series is Sociology, or the science of human relations. As a multitude is but an assemblage of units, and as the characteristics of a multitude result from the properties of its units, so social phenomena are consequences of the natures of individual men. Biology and Psychology are the two great keys to the knowledge of human nature; and hence from these Mr. Spencer naturally passes to the subject of Social Science. The growth of society, the conditions of its intellectual and moral progress, the development of its various activities and organizations, will be here described, and a statement made of those principles which are essential to the successful regulation of social affairs. Lastly, in Part Fifth, Mr. Spencer proposes to consider the Principles of Morality. The truths furnished by Biology, Psychology, and Sociology will be here brought to bear, to deter mine correct rules of human action, the principles of private and public justice, and to form a true theory of right living. The reader will obtain a more just idea of the extent and proportions of Mr. Spencer's philosophic plan, by consulting his prospectus at the close of the volume. It will be seen to embrace a wide range of topics, but in the present work, and in his profound and original volumes on the "Principles of Psychology" and "Social Statics," as also throughout his numerous Essays and Discussions, we discover that he has already traversed almost the entire field, while to elaborate the whole into one connected and organized philosophical scheme, is a work well suited to his bold and comprehensive genius. With a metaphysical acuteness equalled only by his immense grasp of the results of physical science-alike remarkable for his profound analysis, constructive ability, and power of lucid and forcible statement, Mr. Spencer has rare endowments for the task he has undertaken, and can hardly fail to embody in his system the largest scientific and philosophical tendencies of the age. As the present volume is a working out of universal principles to be subsequently applied, it is probably of a more abstract character than will be the subsequent works of the series. The discussions strike down to the profoundest basis of human thought, and involve the deepest questions upon which the intellect of man has entered. Those unaccustomed to close metaphysical reasoning, may therefore find parts of the argument not easy to follow, although it is here presented with a distinctness and a vigor to be found perhaps in no other author. Still, the chief portions of the book may be read by all with ease and pleasure, while no one can fail to be repaid for the persistent effort that may be required to master the entire argument. All who have sufficient earnestness of nature to take interest in those transcendent questions which are now occupying the most advanced minds of the age, will find them here considered with unsurpassed clearness, originality, and power. The invigorating influence of philosophical studies upon the mind, and their consequent educational value, have been long recognized. In this point of view the system here pre sented has high claims upon the young men of our country,— embodying as it does the latest and largest results of positive science; organizing its facts and principles upon a natural method, which places them most perfectly in command of memory; and converging all its lines of inquiry to the end of a high practical beneficence,-the unfolding of those laws of nature and human nature which determine personal welfare and the social polity. Earnest and reverent in temper, cautious in statement, severely logical and yet presenting his views in a transparent and attractive style which combines the precision of science with many of the graces of lighter composition, it is believed that the thorough study of Spencer's philosophical scheme would combine, in an unrivalled degree, those prime requisites of the highest education, a knowledge of the truths which it is most important for man to know, and that salutary discipline of the mental faculties which results from their systematic acquisition. We say the young men of our country, for if we are not mistaken, it is here that Mr. Spencer is to find his largest and fittest audience. There is something in the bold handling of his questions, in his earnest and fearless appeal to first principles, and in the practical availability of his conclusions, which is eminently suited to the genius of our people. It has been so in a marked sense with his work on Education, and there is no reason why it should not be so in an equal degree with his other writings. They betray a profound sympathy with the best spirit of our institutions, and that noble aspiration for the welfare and improvement of society which can hardly fail to commend them to the more liberal and enlightened portions of the American public. |