New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1854-10-24
They have not assumed literal, separate


Erred . person At all except in the bold prose-
popei.s of rhetoric sod poetry. But to speak oil
Nature 80 the ,yutbe.is of finite forces, In con-
,,.s, both with isolated phenomena and the In
finite Cause. is the inevitable operation OF the
principles of eau, atty and unity, which are es-
,eptial elem. pts Of the human reason
The System OF Comte thus rests on series OIL
arbitrary assumptions, 80 lar IS 1t attempts 10 &C
compli,h aty scientific purpose, beyond the limits
of sensible phenomena. Whatever vulneraoie
points exist in the conceptions of theology aud
metaphysics, they have certainly received no
no.i,,ve DAMAGE from the hands of our Positive
Philosopher.
Nor has Comte been able to adhere to HE own
postulares in the development of his system.
He lacks the consistency Of thought and express
sl.n which is one of the most certain tokens OF
truth. Condemning the g,ea. body OF pre- nous
ipquirers to the bottomless pit OF OBLIVION, on
account OF their inability to restrict tue domain
Of science to the impressions Of the senses, he
COD stsb,Iy deals in conceptions which, according
to his own principles, are destitute OF scientinc
validity, and, 10 fact, are mere fantasies OF the
brain.
Thus be states that the first characteristic oil
the Positive Philosophy is that it regards all phe-
nomepa as subject to invariaole natural Laws.
Here, at the very outset Of his specl'ations, he
introduces an element which has no validity, on
the principles of his system. The conception OIL
Law is not a deduction OF the senses. IL has no
place among the sensible phenomena which
Comte regards as exclusively the subjects OF
science. NJ succession, or juxtapos ton, or sim
ilarlty Of events can extoft this idea from sens-
bic Impressions. 1t is no less intractable to all
the processes Of the anatOmst, the astronomer
and the chemist, than the notions OF cause, sub.
stance, aud unity which Comte so summsrily re-
jects. 1t is pure conception Of the Intellect,
implying the uniformity of causation, aud the pre-
servatlon Of identity. OF course, Comte was
bound to give it the go-by. Yet plays prom-
nent part in his system-is clothed with the atsrl-
butes of personal agent-and made to bear an
exact resemblance to the metaphysical eotlties
against which he raises such vehement clamor.
Nor is this all. Ia speaking of the law of the
development of human Intelligence, in the three
phases often alluded to before, he asserts that
this law is fundamental and necessary But
each of these ideas is illegtimate, on the assump-
tons of the Positive Philosophy. We inform
ed by that of merely what is, not what is 'funda.
mentally" or necessarily" Adopting these
terms. we enter the forbidden field of metaphysics.
We y,iate the coOrless revelations Of the senses,
by conceptions which have only rational valldl-
ity, or which, Conte himself being the Judge,
are to be classed among the fctiOns Of the brain.
Again, COmte declares that nothing great can
be accomplished by the human intellect, except
"through knowledge Of natural laws, BY which
ave can set one agent TO cork upon another.
Here is palpable recognition of the principle Of
causatiOn which COmte has labsred through 80
MANY pages t. demolsh. Weak elements often
"produes change in the result of large aggregate
"of causes" The apple of Sodom, once more,
with which COmte fondly dsllies in spite of his
TRADE against the folly of seeking to pry iato
causes. We see nothing but change in the
phenomena of the universe; how any change is
produced is an unlawful question; which Can be
entertained only by the carnal mind still under
the dominion of metaphysics and not yet baptized
into the regenerating spirit of Positive Phil
Osophy.
1.-THE destination ofthe sciences, COmte main
tains, sis to satisfy the cravings Of the under
standing to know the laws of phenomena" This
is, no doubt, sound doctrine but it comes with an
i'll grace from the lips of the great Positvst who
has spent so much time in showing that all in-
quiries into the destiny or essence Of anything,
are outside the limits Of genuine science. The
investigation either of first or final causes is
pueriliry, in bis opinion, fit only for the monk or
scholastic In the dark ages. To ask what ia the
destiny of an object, implies that it is fitted or
adapted to some Interior end; but every consid-
GRAFTON of this kind vanshes before the awful
bosom Of the "cloud compelling Jupiter" OF Posi-
tivism Still, lie speaks of the destiny of science,
with as much confidence as if he had not e1-
puDged the word from the nomenclature Of phi
losopby. Examples of similar contradiction
abound in this volume, showing the inviacible ne
cessity of the conceptions which he repudi .tes,
and that Mature. though driven out with apitch-
fork, will yet return"
The publication Of Comte in an American edi-
ton moy excite attention among thinking men to
the precariOus basis afforded By the English
schoolof philosophy, Of which Lockeis the founder,
to the most important and eDnobng cOncep-
ton of the human mind. The disciples Of that
school are bound to accept the conclusions of
Comte. If the senses, as virtually admitted by
the philosophy, which until within recent period
has been the found.tOnOf academic instruction
in this department, for American youth-are the
only iDlets Of knowledge there ia no logical