Herbert Spencer's Philosophy; Atheism, Pantheism, and Materialism [pp. 243-270]

1865.~ ffer6ert Spencer's PAiThsop~y; Atkeism, ~c. 243
ART. IV. -First Principles of a New S~tem of P}tiThsoply.
By HERBERT SPENCER. New York: D. Appleton & Corn pany 1865.
Illustrations of Universal Progress: A Series of Discussions.
By HERBERT SPENCER. With a Notice of Spencer's New
System of Philosophy. New York: D. Appleton & Corn pany. 1865.
TIte Principles of PsyckoThgy. By HERBERT SPENCER. Lon don: Longman, Brown, Green, & Longmans. 1855.
~ducation, Intellectua4 Moral, ana P}t~ical. By HERBERT
SPENCER. New;York: D. Appleto~ & Company. 18b1.
TIte Correlation an{1 Conservation of Forces: A Series of Ex positions by Prof. Grove, Prof. Helmholtz, Dr. Mayer, Dr.
Faraday, Prof. Liebig and Dr. Carpenter. With an Intro duction and brief Biographical Notices of the Chief Pro moters of the New Views. By E~w~~~ L. YoUMANs, M. D.
New York: D. Appleton & Company, 1865.
THE rank which Mr. Herbert Spencer has obtained among
- English thinkers, his fertility and pretensions as a philosophical
author, the skilful and persistent efforts to give his works currency and influence in this country, the evident existence among
us of a coterie of his admirers, who are seeking to insinuate his
principles into our literature and science, our philosophy and
religion, our education and politics, furnish ample reasons for
an immediate and careful examination of the distinctive peculiarities of his system. To this work we now address ourselves,
and invite the candid attention of our readers.
Perhaps the urgent occasion for this service will be more
obvious, if we state how it happened that we were led to under take it, while it will explain why the foregoing list of works ~n
cludes one of which he is not the author. We refer, of course,
to that on the "Correlation and Conservation of Forces," con sisting of treatises by several eminent savants, collected and
edited by Priof. Youmans, who reveals his own animus in giving
the compilation to the public, (whatever may have been the
intent of the several authors,) in a somewhat brilliant intro ductory essay. Having had our attention turned to this work,