Page:Mind (Old Series) Volume 11.djvu/141

 130 NEW BOOKS. offered (under the head of " Positivism ") on contemporary English philo- sophy. "In England, Stuart Mill, more an economist than a philosopher, but more of a metaphysician than Littre, in his Essays on Logic founded on Indiirti.a'H, is only half a positivist ; it is the same with Huxley. Both have declared that society could not exist without religious dogma" (p. 78). An Appendix of 52 pp. consists of a summary of the history of France from the Roman times, concluding with some controversial matter relating to current politics. Between the Introduction and the Appendix the author reviews the sciences from astronomy to biology (Bk. i., pp. 84-184), "refuting" Darwin and Haeckel by the way ; describes "The three intelli- gences in man and the origin of the particular mental faculties" (Bk. ii., pp. 185-256) ; and discusses the question " Ought man to be abandoned to himself, or ought he to impose on himself a religious dogma?" (Bk. iii., pp. 257-316). It is concluded that "a religions dogma is indispensable to society " (p. 305). The author himself proposes an eclectic creed, the "principal points" of which are arranged in the form of three "duties towards God," thirteen "duties towards one's neighbour," and six "duties towards oneself". In order to "unite men in the same philosophical views " and thus prevent society from falling " more and more into anarchy,'' he thinks it is absolutely necessary "to form an assembly of men of moderate spirit," who are to " constitute a code of philosophy upon irrefutable data" (p. 315). Les Sentiments, les Passions et la Folie. Explications des Phenomenes de la Pensee et des Sensations. Cinq Conferences faites a la Salle des Capucines en 1884. Par AM^DEE H. SIMOXIX, Membre et Laureat de la Societe nationale d'Encouragement au Bien. Paris : J. Michelet, 1885. Pp. 431. M. Simonin, who is also the author of a Tnatise on Psychologi/, a Jflntorji of Psychology and a volume entitled Materialism rnn>.<l;f<l, hen- undertakes to establish that "the soul exists by itself," on the ground that " its facul- ties called memory, will, observation, comparison, reflection, &c., have no corresponding organs in the brain". To the parts of the brain he assigns "psychophysical" functions subordinate to the faculties of the soul ; de- scribing the pineal gland, for example, as "a psychophysical instrument of which the soul makes use for its needs as the telegraph clerk makes use of his electrical machine " (pp. 12-13). If man will not recognise "the laws of the psychical world" as here set forth, and recognise also "the action of Providence," then, in the author's opinion, he will soon be " gorillisd, chang& en bete, comme feu Nabuchodonosor" (p. 401). After explaining his doctrines in Part i., M. Simonin goes on to describe two imaginary cities : the first, " Insaniapolis" or "the civilised world governed by the passions," as it is at present ; the second, "Raisonville" or "society living under the empire of the laws of reason" demonstrated in the present work. In his Second Part, he attacks pretty impartially members of the Academy, Mal- thusians and Opportunists, as well as Materialists and German Peimists. Les Principes de la Dfcouverte. Reponses a une Question de 1' Academic des Sciences de Berlin. Par TH. FUNCK-BRENTANO, Professeur a I'ficole libre des Sciences poll tii | lies. Puris : IMoii, Noiirrit & Cie. ; Leip/ig : Duncker & Humblot ; Luxembourg : F. Beftrit, 1885. Pp. vi., 264. The Academy of Sciences of Berlin having offered a pri/e for the best critical exposition of the philosophical theories of causation that have influenced science during the last three centuries, with a view to the solu- tion of the question as to the true meaning and validity of the law of causa- tion, the author sent in the two answers printed in the present volume : the