The Newest Materialism; Sundry Papers on the Books of Mill, Comte, Bain, Spencer, Atkinson and Feuerbach (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1873 Excerpt: ...so tenderly, so timidly, so almost cravenly as Mr. Mill. In addition, the passages in Mr. Mill's book so stupidly impugned by the rabid rigorists, are exceedingly innocent, unimpeachably orthodox. Bishop Thirlwall and Mr. Maurice are excellent judges of the politer kinds of orthodoxy; and when they assure us that these passages are neither dangerous nor heretical, we cordially agree with them. Yet it does not follow that Mr. Mill's argument is convincing; convincing, indeed, it is not. In the expression of his willingness to go to hell, Mr. Mill may have displayed a courage not habitual with him. But the real risk of his exile to a place so uncomfortable is small. For if we suppose that the Omnipotent takes the trouble to make great philosophers as well as costermongers, clodhoppers and cabmen, he can as easily change the mind, convert the heart of great philosophers as the mind and the heart of the aforesaid somewhat inferior but not altogether useless mortals. Likewise, though our conception of Deity emerges from the rudest anthropomorphism, and must exhibit even in its most transcendental refinement and elevation the traces of anthropomorphism, yet the very processof idealisation involves immense and continual contrasts. Ontologically, as may be deduced from a previous section of our paper, we are not bound to believe or to prove that the Infinite Power is either wise, or just, or good in the ordinary sense of these words; we have simply to view and adore the Infinite Power as the Infinite Life. But Christians in the mass are neither ontologista nor idealistic anthropomorphists. They worship the god of their fathers, as the Almighty Father, whose face may sometimes be wrath, whose hand may sometimes be justice, but whose soul is boundless and ineffable m...