The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-06-08

~ S-cs,iosv ant Psr ~ 81 mo rrt".
ctpie- Il tihtr-
~ even tho .ymtsith~tic b. uts'hfrf nf
mi--u--i surl- whai IL 30 - -tt-sf"'i from
th- ap~tsxnui-iir' IN illustration ~ 40
rv'~ti' tu shirh o%pts-rInr. shsth~f -.
pr--ss-l ~ cvn'rrVsT.v - Uth"rv 80
prnrfpis Injurious mi-v rF-~-en'atinr- W.
S%t~n',r tuu,,- a ra--sg- from ne 'Ls't"fs
ut tsp amin ipseu Pagr To- Y suinr
iu.- hlnk that 80 P~aioni-'- and ldsai,-'s
arr TOT hall ~ industrious q thn-~ ~
p~li-iVs f~opb. Nho uAlV -l,~N What
they ran old In their hands Bain n SPIN.
c~r. Ac who sr~ tho v-ry rIpp~ts of
Philu.nphv our ruthor's nmm-ni un
thu ta--asr runs A. follow. I viii not
ask in what -~.l-s IN. law of Evolution AMI
suudry gruerali sItion- 81 az atstra~t kInd
With which I am identined ran l." -rv"rally
held IA INV hands. hut viii interpret his
statement IN IN. -~n-s probably intended.
a. an a-~tp,ion ~ mAisrialism One
might have expectei that Prof. Josett.
harmed In philosophy and practlcrd In
making distinctions. would not have fol-
lowed la the steps ~ les cultured theo-
logical opponents. who's" asrer-ions !
have tine after time shown to to ground
"Ss II might have bcen supposed That
sinc~ the System of synthetic Philosophy
commences with a division entitled The
~Inknowable.' having FOR its purTs'-e 10
show that all material Phenomena are
manifestation Of a Power which tran-oruds
our know lsige-thai force. a. ~ know
u. ran IL regarded only a. a conditioned
effect Of IA. rnconditioned muse '-ther.
had I@~n Afforded sufficiently decided
proof 81 belief In something which cannot
10 held in The hands Considering that IN
The Principles Of Psychology I have
write. hence though Of the two II -.em>
easier 10 translate ao-csll.d Matter into
sp-called Spirit. than 10 translate so-called
| Spirit into so-callad Matter (which latter II.
| indeed. wholly impossiblel. vet no translA-
ton can carry VS. h@yond our symbols
I might reasonably have thought that
no one would call NE a materali-i Still
| more. after the elaborate analysis cnr-
aimed in Sections 27i. ~. showing he
unienability ~ matsrialism, ! should have
-uppo-ed IN. rrpudia,ion complete But
| rho charge % materislism il a CONVENIENT
weapon for theological and philosophical
| opponents a Weapon which, knockei out
Of IA" hani ~ mo. j. presently picked up
hy another a weapo which Prof Iowctt
| was not ashamed to Use and TO Join with
vhfving words
To the suggestion that. perhaps. Prof.
10 wett did not know ~ these Passages
which demonstrates the absurdity ~
charging the author with m~starialism.
Nr. spencer replird Il am not nwar.
that one who condemns an authors opin-
ions IL excused bee atise he does not know
what those opinions are; rather his ignor-
ap.. aIl. 70 81. ovavttv ~ 30. nN.paa
But the excuse. bad though IL -. l. un-
availins. for Prof Jowett had in his hands
the works containing thesa passages
II seems that Prof Jowctt was one Of the
original subscribers To The synthetic
Philosophy and. when the series had
been running for seven years. sent 10 the
publishers a lump sum 81 fS 10 cover fu-
tura subscriptions. Tie was the only person
who paid subscriptions in advance. Mr.
spencer suggests that here Is a psychic
logical puzzle. Prof Jowe't's practical
proof ~ appreciation was i~nversely pro-
porionate to his expressed d~isarproha-
tion, while showing. in an extremely eI-
oeptional way. n not his agreement with
the synthetic Philosophy, yet HE appreCia-
tion of u. he de~cribed its author as one
Of the Tuppers Of Philosophy
Inv " Out pne OF IN" many mslAnTsr
which nave convinced Mr. Spencer that.
IL words are misused in mall and indiner-
ent matters. they will he misi-ed in i'm
portant ones. lie deerns u. indeed. folly
70 suppose that those who. when triviahti.s
nre In question. use stronger words IA a
are called for. will suddenly become jul
dicial in their spe-sh when the thing dis
cussed ar" momentous Are We. then.
10 make our talk prim. and exact. and.
consequently. dull' Shall Ne ron con
y.rsation Of i,s salt by weighing and - rutIn-
Izing our wurds before "" utter them.
To see hat they do not e. beyond m. rruttt
Mr. Spencer would say that the question
itself illustrates the randomnes- ~ thought
which -xaggerat,on Rl-o "Nemplihes What
he would contend for 10 ~ that words which
truly express the fact should h. used in
all ra-e- whore the obvious intention is
to express facts. not at all that words should
10 used N this way when there is an Oh
yious intention to overstate. with a view
to cause amdsemsnt Tho humor 81 ey-
aggaratiun L. increased In sncr, whom n
comes from the mouth - one who orii.
narily u-es words appropriately
just a. exaggerstion 10 frequent in fam.
THAR sp.-~h, -. IN Mr.. Spencer opinion,
does The world ~ anN given moment err
by excess or defect m It's Judgments ~
men In a short paper on tho -Ihj.c,
We are reminded that judgments are de-
t.rmin"d loss by intellectual Processes than
by feelings and that feelings are swavcd
his way or that wav largely by personal
likes or di-likcs. or bv the d--ire To- express
views tina, are in fashion. or have. for tho
moment. the weight OF authority Hence
-nu mode 81 d~i-counting current opinions
- pronounced desirable Mr. NI.ncrr
thinks that ~omr guidance NAV be obtained
bv uh rrN ing the oscillations of opinions
and noting the Stage IN their OSCILLATIONS
which ~ the time being thev have reached
Tina, such OSCILLATIONS do IN fact occur
seems ~indisrIiahic All movement. in
dend. IL rhv'hmical that II opinion in
clud"i After going to ono extreme a
reaction In cour-a ri time carries opinion
10 m. other "Ntrnm". and then - ne
eventually a re-reactton This il c,early
Observable IN Tho Ca~a ~ repT aiion-
Time was when ~" authority Of Aristotle
~as s,lprnmc and unqur~tIoned Then