OF

MODERN PHILOSOPHY.

BY M. VICTOR COUSIN.

TRANSLATED BY O. W. WIGHT.

IN TWO VOLUMES.

VOL. I.

NEW-YORK:

D. APPLETON & CO., 443 & 445 BROADWAY.

1866.

U.C.D. LIBRARY

Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1852,

By D. APPLETON & CO.,

In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for the Southern
District of New York.

CONTENTS.

SECOND SERIES-VOL. I.

LECTURE I.

DEA OF PHILOSOPHY.

Subject of the first lecture:-That philosophy is a special want and a neces-

sary product of the human mind.-Enumeration of the fundamental wants

of the human mind, of the general ideas which govern its activity: 1st,

Idea of the useful, mathematical, and physical sciences, industry, political

economy: 2d, Idea of the just, civil society, the State, jurisprudence: 3d,

Idea of the beautiful, art: 4th, the idea of God, religion, worship: 5th,

Of reflection, as the foundation of philosophy.-Philosophy, the last de-

velopment of thought.-Its true character in the nineteenth century...13

LECTURE II.

PERPETUITY OF PHILOSOPHY.

Subject of this lecture: Verification by history of the results obtained by

psychology. Has philosophy had an historical existence, and what has this

existence been?-ist, The East.-Birth of philosophy. 2d, Greece and

Rome.-Development of philosophy. Socrates. 3d, Middle age.-Scho-

lasticism. 4th, Modern philosophy.-Descartes. 5th, Actual condition

of philosophy.-View of the future. Conclusion: That philosophy has

not been wanting to any epoch of humanity; that its importance has

increased from epoch to epoch; and that its tendency is to become, without

ceasing, a more considerable portion of history....

LECTURE III.

HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY.

29

Recapitulation of the last two lectures. A word upon the method employ-

ed. Subject of this lecture: Application to the history of philosophy

of what has been said of philosophy. 1st, That the history of philosophy

is a real element of universal history, like the history of legislation, of arts,

and of religions. 2d, That the history of philosophy is clearer than all other

parts of history, and that it contains their explanation. Logical demon-

stration. Historical demonstration. Explanation of Indian civilization by

philosophy: Bhagavad-Gita. Greece: Explanation of the age of Pericles

by the philosophy of Socrates. Modern history: Explanation of the six-

teenth century by the philosophy of Descartes. Explanation of the

eighteenth century by the philosophy of Condillac and of Helvetius. 8d,

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