Buckle，Isaid，sharedtheerroroftheUtilitarianswhoassumedmoralprogresstoconsist，notinachangedestimateofhappiness，butsimplyinabetterknowledgeofthemeansofattainingit。Buckle’sidentificationofprogresswithincreaseofknowledgeinvolved，Isaid，thesameerror。Thechangeisregardedassuperficialor’external’。Meanwhilemyargument，whichMrRobertsonattacks，aboutthefallacyofarguingfromthefixedenvironmenttothevaryingorganismappliedtosuchcasesastheinferencefromearthquakestosuperstitionorfromclimatetoaesthetictendencies。Suchageneralisation，takenasanexplanationofsuperstition，generallyimplies，asIheld，aninadequateappreciationofthesocialormoralevolution。PerhapsIdidnotputthepointclearlyoraccurately，and，ifso，I
regretit。
39。PhilosophiePositive，1852，i，44，andcp。Ibid。iv。648，etc。
40。MrHerbertSpencerraisesthisquestioninacriticismofComte，containedinapamphletuponthe’ClassificationoftheSciences。’SeeMill’sremarksuponthisinhisAugusteComteandPositivism，pp。34，43，102，114。ThecontroversybetweenMrSpencerandComteliesbeyondmyprovince。
41。Civilisation，p。152。
42。Ibid。pp。160-63。
43。Civilisation，p。206。
44。Civilisation，p。209。
45。Ibid。p。354。
46。Essays1889，ii，422。EssayonBuckle，reprintedfromWestminsterReviewof1857。
47。Civilisation，i。197。
48。Civilisation，ii。9。
49。OnthispointMrRobertsonvirtuallyagreeswithme，thoughheattacheslessimportancetoit。
50。Civilisation，i。185。
51。Civilisation，p。235。
52。Civilisation，pp。248，283，289，306。Heoccasionallyadmitsthatthechurchprotectedthepoorandwasusefulinitstime。
ibid，pp。462，559。
53。Civilisation，i。213。
54。Ibid。i。257。
55。Civilisation，i。264。
56。Ibid。ii。274。
57。Ibid。ii。145，146。
58。Ibid。i。729。
59。Civilisation，i。563。
ChapterVI
PhilosophyI。Mill’sOpponentsMill’slogicembodiesthecardinalprinciplesofhisphilosophy。Theprinciplesimpliedthatlittleofwhatiscalledphilosophycouldbevalid。Millnecessarilyheldthatmanyofthemostpretentiousspeculationswere，inreality，nothingbutwords；cobwebsofthebraintobesweptintothedustbin，finally，thoughpolitely，bythegenuinethinkers。Hisviewoftheconsequencestotheologyandreligioncouldforalongtimebeinferredonlyfromincidentalremarks。Graduallyhecametothinkthatthereticencewasundesirable，andhadgivenhisfinalconclusionsintheEssays，whichwerepublishedafterhisdeath。
ThephilosophicalpositionwhichunderliesthemismostclearlyexhibitedinhisExaminationofHamilton1865。1*ThisincludedacriticismofMansel’sapplicationofHamilton’smetaphysicaldoctrinestotheology。Mansel’sdoctrine，statedintheBamptonLecturesof1858，hadprovokedsomesharpandmany-sidedcontroversies。HedefendedhimselfagainstMill’scriticism。Otherwritersjoinedthefray，andinonewayorotheraperplexingsetofintellectualencountersresulted。TheleadingchampionswereMill，representingthepureUtilitariantradition，Mansel，whorepresentedthefinaloutcomeofwhatMillcalled’intuitionism，’andF。D。Maurice，whomaybebrieflycalledtheintellectualheirofColeridge；whileanotherlineofinferencewasrepresentedbyMr。HerbertSpencer’sFirstPrinciples。Manyoftheargumentshavealreadyastrangelyobsoletesound；buttheymayservetoillustratethedirectionofthemaincurrentsofopinion。
ThewritingsofSirWilliamHamiltonprovidedtheostensiblebattle-ground。MillhadseeninHamiltoncertainsymptomsofahopefulleaningtowardsthetruefaith。Upontakingupthestudymoreseriously，hediscoveredthatHamiltonwasreallyanintuitionistatbottom，andevena’chiefpillar’oftheerroneousphilosophy。Ishallthereforeinquire，inthefirstplace，intothetruenatureofthisversionoftheevilprinciple。Ithasbeensooften’lucidlyexpounded’thatitishardtosaywhatitreallymeans。
Hamilton，2*born8thMarch1788，wasgrandnephew，grandson，andsonofthreesuccessiveprofessorsofanatomyatGlasgow。
Whilestillaninfant，helosthisfather，andwaseverafterwardsontermsofthetenderestaffectionwithhismother，whodiedin1827。AfteratGlasgow，hewenttoBalliolasaSnellstudyingexhibitionerin1807，andtherestartledhisexaminersbyhisportentousknowledgeofAristotle。3*Aftersomemedicalstudy，hedecidedtojointheScottishbar。Hetook，however，moreinterestintheantiquarianthanthepracticalbranchesofthelaws；andspentagreatdealoftimeandlabouronabstrusegenealogicalresearchestoestablishhisclaimtoabaronetcy。HehadtoshowthathewasheirtoaSirRobertHamilton，whodiedin1701，throughacommonancestorwhodiedbefore1552。Hisloveofobscureresearches，orhiswantofaptitudeforspeaking，togetherwithhisadherencetoWhigprinciples，kepthimoutoftheroadtoprofessionalsuccess。Hewasknown，however，asa’monsteroferudition。’HevisitedGermanywithhiscollegefriendJ。G。Lockhartin1817，andonasecondvisitin1820
beganasystematicstudyofthelanguage。
In1820HamiltonwasacandidateforthechairofMoralPhilosophyatEdinburgh，vacantbythedeathofThomasBrown。TothescandalofPhilosophers，itwasgiventoWilson，or’ChristopherNorth，’mainlyonpoliticalgrounds。ProbablyitwasalsoheldthatanybodycouldtalkMoralPhilosophy。Hamiltonwasappointedtoasmallprofessorshipin1821，butthesalary，payablefromadutyonbeer，wasstoppedandheceasedtolecture。
In1829，MacveyNapier，uponsucceedingJeffreyaseditoroftheEdinburghReview，appliedtohisfriendHamiltonforanarticle。TheresultwasthereviewofCousin，whichappearedinthenumberforOctober1829。Jeffreywasratherscandalisedbythisnoveltyinhisoldorgan；thewritershowedanunholyfamiliaritywiththeAbsoluteandtheInfiniteandthejargonofGermanmetaphysics；hecouldnot，saidJeffrey，bea’verycleverman，’andthearticlewasthe’mostunreadablethingthathadeverappearedintheReview。’4*Theaveragereader，however，wasawedifnotinterested；andaselectfew，includingCousin，weregreatlyimpressed。Hamilton’sreputationwasmade；hewroteotherarticleswhichconfirmedtheimpression，andin1836wasappointedtotheEdinburghprofessorshipof’LogicandMetaphysics’。Hewasatlengthinhisproperplace；andmanystudentsofthatgenerationbecameardentdisciples。ForthenexttwentyyearshewasregardedwithanenthusiasmlikethatwhichhadsurroundedDugaldStewartinthepreviousperiodandReidatanearlierdate。Hisimpressiveappearanceandforceofcharactercontributedtherespectduetohisvastreadingandtoneofrightfulauthority。Hewasunmistakablyupright，aloverofspeculationforitsownsake，andamanofwarmandpureaffections。Noonecouldbehappierindomesticlife。In1828，afterhismother’sdeath，hemarriedhiscousin，JanetMarshall，bywhomhehadfourchildren；Heisdescribedasgentleandkindlyinhisfamily；joininginchildishgames，writinginthegeneralroom，andamusinghimselfwithextravagantromances。Hepossessedgreatphysicalstrengthtill，in1844，hisimprudenthabitsofstudybroughtonaparalyticstroke。Herecoveredpartially，butbecameweakeranddiedon6thMay1856。
WithallHamilton’sclaimstorespect，therewasaveryweaksidetohischaracter。Aqueerveinofpedantryranthroughtheman。APhilosopheroughtsurelynottospendtwoyearsunearthingabaronetcy。Hamiltonstickledforhisrightsinothercasesinawaywhichonefeelstohavebeenscarcelyworthyofhim。Hisrealmagnanimitywascombinedwithmentalrigiditywhichmadehimincapableofcompromise。Heisundeniablycandidandalwaysspeaksgenerouslyofhisopponents；buthisownlogicalwaysappearstohimtobeinfallible，andneitherinpracticalmattersnorinargumentwouldheyieldajotoratittleofhiscase。Hisself-confidencewasunfailing，andhespeakseveninhisfirstarticlewiththeairofanintellectualdictator。Hewasresolved，itseems，tojustifyhispositionbyknowingeverythingthathadeverbeenwrittenuponphilosophy。LikeBrowning’soldgrammarian，hewould’knowall，’bothtextandcomment，andwhenthe’littletouch’ofparalysiscame，hewasstillpreparingandaccumulating。Hehadreadavastmassofobscureliteratureandhelpedapowerfulmemorybyelaboratecommonplacebooks。Hispassionforimbibingknowledge，indeed，wasoutofproportiontohisgivingoutresults。Hehasleftcomparativelylittle，andmuchofthatisfragmentary。HiswritingsareallincludedintheDiscussionsfromtheEdinburghReviewandelsewhere，theoftenelaboratenotestohiseditionofReid，andtheLectures。ThetwofirstvolumesoftheselecturesonMetaphysics，aswearetoldbytheeditors，werewritteninthecourseoffivemonthsforhisfirstsession。Theywererepeatedfortwentyyearswithoutseriousalteration。Thelecturesuponlogic，fillingtwovolumesmore，werewritteninthesamewayforthesecondsession。
Writinginsuchhaste，Hamiltonnaturallyekedouthisworkbymakingveryfreeuseofhiscommonplacebook，and，inthecourseuponlogic，bylongquotationsfromprevioustextbooks。ThenotestoReidconsistinpartoflongchainsofquotations。Theyshowonepalpableweakness。Theextracts，detachedfromtheircontext，losetheirtruesignificance。Hegivesalistof101authoritiesfromHesiodtoLamennais，withquotations，inwhichanappealofsomekindismadeto’common-sense。’Hemighthavecollectedathousand；butinsteadofshowingtheapprovalofthespecialScottishdoctrine，theyreallyshowthatphrasemaybeusedmoreorlessfreelybyholdersofeverydoctrine。Heseemstoshareisopinionofoldwritersthateverystatementinaprintedbookisan’authority。’Theresultsaresometimesgrotesque。ItwasnaturalenoughthatHamiltonshouldnoteanunfavourableopinionofmathematicalstudyexpressedbyHoraceWalpole；butagravecitationofHoraceWalpoleasanstudieswouldhaveamusedauthorityuponmathematicalnobodymorethanWalpolehimself。Onsuchamethodthefueltoooftenputsoutthefire，andHamilton’sdirectexpositionsarefewandhisopinionsoftentobeinferredfromfragmentarycriticisms。Theynaturallyvaryasheplaceshimselfatdifferentpointsofview；andwearelefttoguesshowhewouldhavetriedtocombinethem。