The times., 1901-06-02

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. June lit is
curious example OF the loss of meaning
which terms and phrases undergo that
the academic degree of Phi doctor Of
philosophy-is nowadays conferred on
students Of language or science or litera-
ture without much If any thought of its
real significance. By philosophy vs.
meant. of course in earlier days univef
sal knowledge, and the universal appIica-
tion Of knowledge. The meaning is
palmer when one remembers, for exam
pie that our modern science Of physics
was once the science of natural philOso-
ply. So when a student shows high
proficiency in Latin or mathematics or
French literature, he is admitted-such is
the theory of the degree-into one of the
portals that lead to -wisdom'-that is,
it is announced that he is learned in
philosophy Phi. d.
The whole matter Of this older meaning
of philosophy has just been brought up
at Harvard by the proposition to erect. in
some conveniently central situation in the
college yard. a building to accommodate
the Harvard department OF philosophy,
in this more special sense Of the word,
which shall also stand, if the hopes of the
department are realized, as a kind of CO.
crdinating centre. perhaps, in the appar-
cut confusion of studies and interests
making UP the life of a modern univer-
sity; and which. finally, shall be- in
name and thought. memorial to the
most famous Of American philosophers.
R.iph Waldo Emerson, Of the Harvard
class of 1921.
The project is fully explained in a care
ful statement, shortly to be published by
Mr.. Hugo MUensterberg. professor of psy- !
chology at Harvard, and the present
chairman of the philosophical depart
ment; a statement which is particularly
Interesting on account Of its summing up
oE the ideals to which the Harvard de-
partment-and perhaps the newer school
of American philosophy in general-holds
''Such a home" Prof. Muensterberg ex-
plains, would give US, firstly, of course,
the room and the external opportunities
for work on every plane; it would give
US also the dignity and the repOss the
unity and the cOmrajeship Of a philo-
sophicaI academy. 1t would give US the
inspiration resulting from the mutual as
sistance Of the different parts of philo-
sophy, which in spite Of their apparent
separation are still today parts of one
philosophy only. All this would benefit
the students of philosophy themselves,
but not less good would come to the uni
versity as a whole.
THE specialization Of our age has
brought it about that in the organization /
of a university even philosophy, or.
rather, each Of the philosophical branches, |
has become an isolated study co-ordi-
mated with others. The average student |
looks to psychology as TO physics or
botany; he thinks of ethics as he thinks
of economics or history: he hears about
will 17pr los
and so on. The university has somewhat
lost sight OF the unity of all philosophical
subjects and has. above all. forgotten
that this united philosophy is more than
one science among other sciences, that it
is indeed the central science which alone
has the power to give inner unity to the
whole university work Every year our
universities reward our most advanced
young scholars of phiiology and history,
of literature. and economies, OF physics,
and chemistry, Of mathematics and BIZ
ology with the degree of Ph. D.. that is.
of doctor of phnosophiae, symbolically |
thus expressing that all the special /
sciences are ultimately only branches Of |
philosophy, but the truth Of this symbol |
has faded away from the consciousness |
Of the academ's community
All knowledge appears there as a |
ton and the fact that they all have once |
been parts Of philosophy, till one after |
the other has been dismissed from the |
mother arms, has been forgotten. A |
school of philosophy as a visible unity |
in the midst of the yard will renew this /
truth and thus give once more TO the /
overwhelming multitude of intellectual !
efforts OF our university a real unity and /
interconuection; the external connection |
OF administration viii be re-enforced by |
the inner unity of logical interdepend- |
ence.
The tine is ripe for a school Of phi |
losoPhy to play this role and fulfill again |
its old historical mission to be the unity |
ing principle Of human knowledge and |
lie. The second half of the nineteenth !
century was essentially controlled. by |
realistic energies, by the spirit of analy- |
sis. by the triumph of natural science and |
technique. But a long time before the |
came to an end a reaction started /
throughout the whole intellectual globe; |
the synthetic energies came again to the |
foreground, the idealistic interests We're /
emphasized IN the most different quar- |
ters; the historical and social sciences |
make today the same rapid progress |
which characterized fifty years ago the /
natural sciences, and everywhere in the
awakening again the interest in philoso-
ply.
In the days Of nti-philosophical ma
turalism scientists believed that philo-
sOphy had come to an end and that an un-
pOsitivism might be sl,bsti- |
tuted for real philosophy; today the rnath- |
mematicians and physicists, the chemists
and biologists, the historians, and econ !
omlSts eagerly turn again and again to |
and on the bOrderland between |
and the empirical sciences they
seek theiI most important problems and
discussions. The world begins to feel /
once more that all knowledge is empty
IL it has no inner unity and that the inner
unity can be brought about only by that
science which enquiries into the funda-
mental conceptions and methods of |
thought with which the special scit nces
work. into the presuppositions and ulti-
mate aKionas with which they begin into
the laws Of mental life, which lie al the
basis Of every experience. into the ways |
10 teach the truth, and above all into the
value OF human knowledge, its absolute !
meaning and It's relation 10 all the other |
human Values-those Of morality, beauty, !
and religion. The most advanced think |
fields Of knowledge to restore such a unity
Of human life through philosophy. To
foster this spirit Of the twentieth century |
in the life Of our university there is no |
more direct way possible than to give q
home TO the philosophical work.
THE beautiful building which we see in
our mind should not be devoted to n
single system Of philosophy. In it's hall
we hope to see as greeting for every
student the bustS Of Plato the IdealiSt /
and Aristotle the Realist, of Descartes
and SDinOza Of Bacon and Hobbies. Of
ocke and Hume and Berkeley, of Kant
and Fichte and Hegel, OF Comte and
Spencer Of Helmhoitz and Darwin. The |
~ H.