New-York tribune., 1902-01-25
A STOREHOUSE OF SCIENCE
THE NEW DICTIONARY OF PHILOSOPHY
AND PSYCHOLOGY.

and Extensive Bibographies In Three Vol Vol
umes Imperial octave. Vol. ], PIP. XIV Ola
The Macmillan Company
This volume Of over six hundred pages is the
first of the three III which the Dictionary OF
Philosophy and Psychology is TO be comprised
The work is carried by il through the definition
of the laws of thought Gan admirable article
by DR.. c. s. Peirce), and the editor announces
that the end of the vocabulary will be reached
in the second volume which will also contain
fun indices of Greek. Latin, German. French
and Italian terms The third will be devoted
exclusively to general biblogra phies and it is
likely to be- for readers in philosophy and psy
choogy, of very great value. AS regards the
list of editors and contributors, no pompous dis
play is made of it "a deviation from 'up-to-
date" methods greatly to be commended) but it
IS intrinsically impressive both in quantity and
quality. IT includes the names of nearly all the
best known American and English specialists
In the fields concerned, and also those of a num-
her Of French. German and Italian scientists
over fifty in all. The actual participation of
these gentlemen in the work of compilation or
revision (often of bothl is guaranteed by the
initials appended to the several articles, and
frequently TO parts Of articles. The mechanical
execution is excellent, the volume being of
convenient size Though little too heavy for
its bulk), the column OF a good width, and the
type very legible.
Baldwin and his co-laborers have undertaken is
obvious. While there exists fairly large num-
Der Of works with similar aim, some Of which
are very useful, there are that fully meet
the wants of the student. This imperfection is
especially felt in all that relates to the recent
advances in psychology and to the many points
of contact between IL and modern physics and
biology. The attempt-as far examina-
tion has gone, a very successful one-to supply
this lack is of the chief merits of this
dictionary. In fact. it is in the modern psychol
ogy that, the editor says, most of the lines
of this work converge" And rightly so, for
psychology is only the halfway house be-
tween biology with the whole range of the OBJ
jective sciences the one hand and the moral
sciences with philosophy the other" but it is
also the science upon which both philosophy
and the various objective sciences are found
more and more to depend. If to this is added
the fact that psychology-especially expert
mental psychologists engrossing, and for
long time will continue to engross the greater
part Of the labor expended upon the philosoph-
ical sciences and of its significant results no fur
ther defence Of its position in this dictionary is
needed. From the adoption of this point Of
view has resulted great liberality in the inclu-
sion of the terms of the objective sciences with
which psychology is related-mental pathology,
anthropology, biology, neurology, physiology
and the like. One finds, for example. taking q
few at random, articles acquired and
genital characters with note on Weismann's
theory Of heredity). "agamogenesis." "alalia,"
alcoholism" alienation Of generations" al
phabet method" 0n education) "anoeba"
'blastocoele." blindness" brain" Zone of the
most elaborate in the book), "ceIP' and cell
theory" etc. The admission Of articles Of this
kind is, as has been said, in principle most
conmendable; in practice, however, It involves
difficulty which the editors hardly be said
to have overcome. The inclusion, namely, in a
dictionary like this Of all the terms Of the
biological sciences Ito mention these only which
have close a relation to psychology or phi
losophy Of those just mentioned is i'm
possible and undesirable; but If a part only
are admitted it is impossible to escape the accu-
sation the hand of arbitrariness
and the other Of incompleteness unless the
line is sharply drawn at those whose psychologi-
cal or philosophical significance is obvious and
imr ortant. This the editors do not seem to have
= done.
A similar objection can be made, with even
greater justice, TO the inclusion of considerable
number Of non-scientihc terms and terms Of
sciences other than the physical which have
scarcely the remotest connection with phiIos-
ophy or psychology and adequately defined
in other works of reference that are easily ac-
cessible. The editor has in a measure, 1t is
true, forestalled this criticism by insisting upon
The pedagogical aim of the book He has," he
remarks. been able TO say: This or that
might possibly be excluded if we held to a
strict understanding that only the materials
OF these and those problems were to be included;
but it cannot be emitted from work which
aims to At the student to approach the prob
lens, well to explain to him the possible
solutions of them" 1t is hard to see, however
that this end is served by giving space to ele-
mentary definitions of accent" Advent" lad
vocate" alpha bet" "Antichrist," apocalypse"
Apprenticeship" "arbitrage," "Aryan." As
sumption" dn Roman Catholic usage). award"
and the ike-to mention few in A only which
catch the eye. Even If such terms have a re-
mote connection with the subject of the die
tionary. general definitions of them which do
not suggest that connection would never be
missed, and the space they occupy could be put
a better
The most difficult part Of the compers' task
is OF course the definition OF the strictly philo-
sophical terms. Outside Of very narrow limits
philosophical nomenclature is chaotic in the ex-
treme, the meaning of terms varying from
writer TO writer and almost from page page
IN the book. Hardly more than the ele-
ments Of uniform and precise terminoogy
exist. Under such circumstances the iextcog
rapher is practically obliged TO construct his
definitions from the historical point Of view,
though he may indicate at the same time the
uses which. in his opinion, should prevail II he
attempts to prescribe usage his work is likely
only TO increase the existing confusion. The
conception which the editors entertain of this
part Of their task may be seen from the follow
ing extract from the preface: