AcceptingMill’sview，itisremarkablethatthegreaterrorofhisownschool，whichprofessedtobebaseduponexperience，wastherejectionofhistory；andthegreatmeritoftheaprioriand’intuitionist’schoolwaspreciselytheirinsistenceuponhistory。TothisIshallhavetoreturnhereafter。Meanwhile，MillproceedstoshowhowColeridge，byarguingfromthe’idea’ofchurchandstate，hadatleastrecognisedthenecessityofshowingthatpoliticalandsocialinstitutionsmusthaveasufficientreason，andbejustifiedbysomethingmorethanmereobstinateprejudice。MenlikePittandSirRobertPeel，iftheyacceptedColeridge’ssupport，wouldhavetoaltertheirwholeposition，Coleridge’sdefenceofhisidealchurchwasatoncetheseverestsatireupontheexistingbodyandaproof，asagainstBenthamandAdamSmith，oftheadvantagesofanendowedclassforthecultivationanddiffusionoflearning。Coleridge，moreover，thoughheobjectedtotheReformBill，showedhimselfabetterreformerthanLordJohnRussell。HeadmittedwhattheWhigsrefusedtosee，thenecessityofdiminishingtheweightofthelandownerinterest。Landownerswerenottobeultimatesourcesofpower，buttorepresentonefactorinareasonedsystem。Inshort，byadmittingthatallsocialarrangementsinsomesensewereembodimentsofreason，headmittedthattheymustalsobemadetoconformtoreason。
ColeridgeandBentham，then，arenotreallyenemiesbutallies，andtheywieldpowerswhichare’oppositepolesofonegreatforceofprogression。’31thequestion，however，remains，howthephilosophyofeachleaderisreallyconnectedwithhispracticalconclusions。Mill’sviewwouldapparentlybethatColeridgesomehowmanagedtocorrecttheerrorsorfillthegapsoftheUtilitariansystem——averynecessarytask，asMilladmits——whileColeridgewouldhaveheldthatthoseerrorsweretheinevitablefruitofthewholeempiricalsystemofthought。TheReasonmustberestoredtoitsrightfulsupremacyovertheUnderstanding，whichhadbeenworkingitswickedwillsincethedaysofLockeandtheeighteenthcentury。Theproblemisawideone。I
mustbecontenttoremarktheinevitableantithesis。Whetherenemiesorallies，theUtilitariansandtheirantagonistswereseparatedbyagulfwhichcouldnotbebridgedforthetime。Themenofcommon-sense，whohadnophilosophyatall，wereshockedbytheimmediatepracticalapplicationsofUtilitarianism，itshostilitytotheoldorderwhichtheyloved，itsapparenthelplessnessinsocialquestions，itsrelegationofallprogresstotheconflictofselfishinterests，itsindifferencetoallthevirtuesassociatedwithpatriotismandlocalties。Bymorereflectiveminds，itwascondemnedasrobbingtheworldofitspoetry，stiflingthereligiousemotions，andevenquenchingsentimentingeneral。Thefewwhowishedforaphilosophyfoundtherootofitserrorsintheassumptionswhichreducedtheworldtoachaosofatoms，outwardlyconnectedandcombinedintomeredeadmechanism。Theworld，forthepoetandthephilosopheralike，mustbenotacongeriesofseparatethings，butinsomesenseaproductofreason。
Thought，notfact，mustbetheultimatereality。Unfortunatelyorotherwise，thepoeticalsentimentcouldnevergetitselftranslatedintophilosophicaltheory。Coleridge’srandomanddiscursivehintsremainedmerehints——
asuggestionatbestforfuturethought。Mill’scriticismshowshowfartheycouldbeassimilatedbyasingularlycandidUtilitarian。Tohim，wesee，theyrepresentedmainlythetruththathisownparty，followingthegeneraltendencyoftheeighteenthcentury，hadbeenledtoneglectthevitalimportanceoftheconstructiveelementsofsociety；thattheyhadsacrificedordertoprogress，andthereforeconfoundedprogresswithdestruction，andfailedtoperceivetherealimportanceinpasttimesevenoftheinstitutionswhichhadbecomeobsolete。Socialatomismorindividualism，therefore，impliedatotalmisconceptionofwhatMillcallsthe’evolutionofhumanity。’