< Page:Mind (Old Series) Volume 12.djvu
This page needs to be proofread.

NEW BOOKS.

whole historical field of political science (in relation with morals) that,, upon issue of this present revised and greatly enlarged edition long after the second has been exhausted, some note may be taken of the progressive transformations it has undergone from the beginning. Commenced in 1848 and " crowned" in 1853 as an essay upon a subject set by the Academy of Moral and Political Sciences" to compare the moral and political philo- sophy of Plato and Aristotle with that of the most distinguished modern publicists," it was, before publication in 1859 (when it was again " crowned" this time by the French Academy), re-cast into the form of a History of Moral and Political Philosophy. In this form it had such acceptance that a second edition became necessary; but now the author saw the hopelessness of giving an adequate account of the historical development of ethics and of politics concurrently, and, concentrating himself upon the history of politics, held by his earlier idea only so far as never to leave out of view the question of relation to ethics when this was prominent with any political theorist. The book thus obtained its final title, and under the new guise appeared in 1872. The present edition differs from the previous one only by revision and enlargement, but the revision has been careful and minute, especially in the matter of bibliography, and the enlargement is very considerable. On the point of bibliography always understood within the period, down to 1789, that he professes to cover the author believes " that there does not remain a political name or writing of any importance not mentioned either in text or notes," and certainly the Bibliographical Index (ii. 745-63), bringing together all the references scattered throughout the volumes and adding others, gives evidence of the most wide-reaching labour, and should prove proportionately useful for purposes of reference. (M. L. Picavet has helped the author towards this comprehensive Index.) The enlargement is chiefly by the addition of chapters on the Encyclopaedists, on moral and political philosophy in Italy and Scotland, on the American publicists, making the History more adequate and complete down to its appointed term (the French Revolution) ; but there is also now given, in a concluding chapter (pp. 727-43), a sketch of the later political theorising in France, with some notes on English and German publicists of the present century, besides a very interesting Intro- duction (pp. v.-lxxi.), in which M. Janet discusses the relations of Droit and Politics, as in an Introduction to the second edition he discussed the relation of Morals and Politics. The new Introduction carefully investi- gates the import of the American and French declarations of " Rights of Man," and seeks, from the philosophical and even the historical point of view, to j ustify such formulation against the attacks of contemporary French thinkers of the positive and historical school (like MM. Taine and Boutmy). The Conclusion is intended only as a first and most general sketch, which the author hopes he may, still at his age, eventually develop into a third volume of the work. If he does so, he should add at least the names of Austin and Sir Henry Maine to those that he now notes as of importance on this side the Channel. L'lrreligion de VAvenir. ^tude de Sociologie. Par M. GUYAU. Paris: F. Alcan, 1887. Pp. xxviii., 479. Instead of " the religion of the future " M. Guyau prefers to speak of "the irreligion of the future," because, although he might justifiably have used the first expression, he wishes to avoid all that kind of " symbolism " by which, as he thinks, an appearance is sometimes given of preserving what is in reality overturned. Another reason for the choice is that the "higher stage of religion," which in the future is to supersede religious dogmas and rites, is conceived as continuous not with present religion

This article is issued from Wikisource. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.