, 1870-01-09
THE POSITIVE PHILOSOPHY At HAR-
UhRr

Gently elected to the newly-created chair Of
Positive Philosophy at Harvard. are attract
ing come popular attention FROM their reRu-
lar publication in the New York Ford.
The lecturer proves to be mora fully a
disciple and e1pounder Of Herbert Spencer
than Of Comte, since he leaves the Ateat gen
civilizations of Conto far behind. The aim
Of the fifteen or more lectures thus for de-
iyered, when translated out Of the techni-
cal formulas used by The lecturer into
terms which viii be understood by the non-
philosophical reader, is to show that all hu-
man notion and history are the Irresistible
evolution Of effects from immediate causes,
in manner that evlnces no evidence Of the
design, or voltioD, OF an intelligent First
Cause. In word, it is the application to
history, The growth Of society, aud the
rise and fall Of nations, Of the
Darwinian theory Of Development,
previously applied by some to the genesis Of
the world and Of the lowerlstages OF animate
life. The lecturer acqults himself Of the
charge Of Atheism, to which his teachings
may subject him at the hands Of some, by
claining that religious faith stands wholly
apart from scientific demonstration, and
cannot be affected By it pro or con. He,
indeed, places himself in antagonism with
the lower grade Of religious thinkers, like
Paley, Dick. Hngh Miller, and other natural
religion:sts, who claim to establish theology
On basis Of scientific investigation and
material evidence. But the Divine 1nspira-
tionists,-al who deny That s' man can, by
searching, find ont God, who assert with
Paul that spiritual truth is spiritually dis
cesned, Or with Plato, that, in substance,
ideas, not evidence, arc eternal truth, or
Who take the high ground Of the Catholic
and very considerable portion OF the
Protestant Church, that religious truth is
from above, not from below, from inspira-
tioc Of God, and not from y inyesi-
gation Of matter, and is, therefore, sub
/ ject Of consciousness aud not OF argument i
! all such stand really unaffected By the truth
| or error OF Mr. Tisko's Theory of history.
They will gratefully accept the acute array
! of arguments By which he will seek to
! show that the downfall! Of tho Roman En-
pire OF The conquests Of Alexander are the
results ot me "of84aes OF natural Lawn as
plainly as the grown o1 cora! reels ano Inc
uphearal OF the Alp conscious that upon
this ieofT Of universal and Ire
sistible causat1oo, the universal sway
Of religious faith over their own and other
minds must be accounted a part Of the ire
sistihle ehain Of effects, and that what IS 50
clearly hhoEn To be inevitable and lrfea'stl-
bic it would be waste OF time to attempt
to change. Says Ms. fisEe to the helsgloa'
ist, Ay law Will account ior al talngs. Il
viii even s"ow hat your fa'th u the 'ne71t'
able result Of all the antecedent causes e1'
istiDg. "Vet5 we'll then' replies Tue 10
ligionist, ''wbg should I change it to be
lieve in your lAw?3 The argument is ikt
tluat in reply to Pope's celebrated aphorlsn
Whateyer is, is right" II the aphorism L
true, then The condemnation with Winch
is met, AZ contoundinR ~ o'ss'neslo1a "
tween right and wrong, is also zighs- Bo
il tho aphorism 1a rightly condemned the'
it must be false-
While nc do not expect any lmnediat
resolution IN thought from BIZ. Fiskes lee
tures' ~e are bound to soy that within thel
proper sphere they exhibit greas phiiosophl