CONTENTS.

LECTURE I.

KANT AND NEO-KANTIANISM.

Relation of these Lectures to the previous course on
Scotch Philosophy-English Neo-Kantianism or Neo-
Hegelianism—Green's Spiritual Principle-Source of
the conception in German philosophy-Sketch of the
following Lectures—Results of the Kantian philosophy
-Refutation of the sensational atomism of Hume-
Time, space, and the categories-The Self or Subject
-The terms synthetic and transcendental as applied
to the Ego-The transcendental and the empirical Self
-The transcendental method-Kant unfaithful to his

own principles-Legitimate outcome of the transcen-

dental method—Mr Shadworth Hodgson's statement

of the position-Neo-Kantianism transforms Kant's

theory of knowledge into a metaphysic of existence—

Green's account of the Spiritual Principle-It repre-
sents merely the formal unity of the universe-Kant's
insistence on the abstract character of his inquiry-
Neo-Kantianism illegitimately converts “consciousness
in general" into "a universal consciousness"-Ferrier's
more cautious argument-Negative or critical attitude
of the theory of knowledge-Kant's own position,

APPENDIX TO LECTURE I. Leibnitian elements in Kant's

doctrine of things-in-themselves,

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LECTURE II.

FICHTE.

Fichte the first to transform Kant's theory of knowledge

into an absolute metaphysic-His constitutionally syn-

thetic mind-Every philosophy must be a Monism—

Dogmatism and Idealism as the only two possible types

of philosophy-Impossibility of explaining the Self by

action ab extra-Fichte's distinction between the Ab-

solute Ego and the empirical self-His speculative ex-

planation of the given element in knowledge-The Non-

Ego and the origin of consciousness-A series of me-

chanical metaphors-Fichte disclaims this interpreta-

tion of his theory-Exclusively practical character of his

idealism at this period-It leaves no permanent reality

in the universe-Later forms of his theory-Disuse

of the term Ego-Schelling's Absolute a relapse into

Spinozism-The inevitable result of substantiating the

logical unity of thought as a creative Self-Fascina-

tion of the conception-Taken as a metaphysic, it de-

prives both God and man of real existence-Fichte's

later developments-Life or Nature as the prius of

individuals— Knowledge as independent and self-ex-

istent-Existence of God out of and beyond the pro-

cess of evolution,

APPENDIX TO LECTURE II. Green's account of feeling,

LECTURE III.

THE RELATION OF HEGEL'S LOGIC TO EXPERIENCE.

Hegel's relation to Fichte and Schelling-The notion of
development in Hegel - Hegel's relation to Kant-
The Logic as the centre of the system-An immanent
criticism of categories - Hegel's Anthropomorphism

defended-Dependence of the dialectic on experience

-Trendelenburg's criticisms-Order of exposition re-

verses the order of thought by which the results were

reached—True explanation of the onward impulse in

the Method-The Absolute Idea derived by Hegel

from the human self-consciousness,

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LECTURE IV.

LOGIC AS METAPHYSIC: THOUGHT AND REALITY.

Relation of Hegel's Logic to his Philosphy of Nature and

Philosophy of Spirit-The Absolute Idea and the Ab-

solute Spirit-Identification of Logic with Metaphysics

-The Transition from Logic to Nature-Impossibility

of such deduction-An absolute philosophy must con-

struct everything as a necessity of thought-Compari-

son between Hegel and Plato-The endeavour to con-

struct existence out of abstract thought-Hegel's scorn

for "Being" involves a fallacy-Nature as the other

of thought-Things merely exemplifications of logical

notions—Hegel's statements only true as metaphors—

Identity of Knowing and Being in this sense impossible

-Illustration from Schelling-True conclusion from

Hegel's own admissions-Hegel's account of Nature

as a system of types-Non-logical character of Nature

as a mere collocation—Hegel's use of the term Con-

tingency, .

APPENDIX TO LECTURE IV. Kant and Fichte on the

question of real existence,

LECTURE V.

HEGEL'S DOCTRINE OF GOD AND MAN.

Hegel evades the questions of the divine existence and
human immortality-Ambiguity of the terms Spirit

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and Absolute Spirit - The system deals throughout

only with generals—Hegel's scheme of reconciliation

peculiarly grand-Spirit intended to be the concrete

unity of God and man-What the system yields is

alternation, not union-Two lines of thought in Hegel

-Relation of the Absolute to the world-process-If

the Absolute exists as completed self-consciousness,

there is no room for Nature or finite selves-Illus-

trated from the Philosophy of Religion-The Son and

the World-Recourse to mythical explanation of the

real world-Second line of thought starts with the

real world-Hegel's interpretation of history-Identi-

fication of human history with the divine life-De-

velopment in time-Outline of Hegel's conception—

The Absolute as the one Subject of the historical pro-

cess-Misapplication of the philosophical notion of

development,

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LECTURE VI.

HEGELIANISM AS AN ABSOLUTE SYSTEM.

Identification of the Absolute with the last term of

human achievement - Hegel's own position - The

Hegelians of the Left-Human persons as foci of an

impersonal system of thought-Idealism and Rational-

ism pass into Materialism and Sensualism-Feuerbach

and Strauss-Self-existence of thoughts unmeaning—

The Absolute not to be identified with the historical

process-Hegel's Absolutism exemplified in Ethics and

Politics-The Philosophy of Law: the real is the

rational Hegel's explanations: the real and the

truly real-His use of the term "truth"-Unwilling

confession of failure-Absolutism destructive of ethical

endeavour and historical progress-Hegel's own con-

demnation of this attitude of finality, .

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CONCLUSION.

The unification of consciousness in a single Self the radical

error of Hegelianism and Neo-Kantianism-Uniqueness

and exclusiveness of every self as such-The universal

Self is rooted in the fallacy of Scholastic Realism-

Traceable to a confusion between logic or epistemology

and metaphysic or ontology-The doctrine sacrifices

the personality of God-Ambiguity as to human im-

mortality-These two positions complementary sides

of the same view of existence,

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