Elements of the philosophy of the human mind. By Dugald Stewart. Rev. and abridged, with critical and explanatory notes, for the use of colleges and schools. By Francis Bowen ...

iv PREFACE.
or vindictive criticism. Those who controverted his
opinions have always spoken of him with much respect,
while his disciples appear to have regarded him, especially towards the close of his long and useful life, with
affectionate veneration.
His principal work, "' The Elements of the Philosophy of the Human Mind," has been frequently republished inll this country, and has been much used as a
text-book of instruction in metaphysical science in our
colleges and schools. When applied to such a purpose,
however, it must be admitted that it has many redundancies and some defects. The style, with all its merits, is somewhat diffuse, the digressions are numerous,
and the illustrations and citations from other authors,
more copious than the subject requires, or than the patience of the reader will always warrant. I have
pruned these superfluities with great freedom, my purpose being to leave the statement of doctrine and the
course of the argument encumbered with no more extraneous matter than seemed necessary for the entertainment of the pupil. NrI. Stewart's caution in the statement of his opinions may appear excessive, and it occasionally betrays him into vagueness of expression and a
kind of indirect style, which leaves his meaning to be
ascertained rather by inference, than from the obvious
import of the language. He also takes for granted the
reader's acquaintance with the writings and opinions of
his more celebrated contemporaries and predecessors,
thus leaving many blanks to be filled by those who are
not particularly conversant with philosophical studies.
I have endeavored to supply some of these deficiencies
in the notes; but wishing not to swell the dimensions
of the book, and at the same time to make it contain
as much as possible of Stewart's own speculations, I
have preferred silently to omit those passages which
stood in great need of annotation, instead of introducing them with a commentary which should seem disproportioned in amount to the text. But these abridgments have been very carefully made, and I hope it will
be found that they do not mar the continuity of the
work, or leave any gaps which mlay create obscurity.