formulating this principle, Comte becomes more and more mystical, giving fuller play to his imagination. In the religion of Humanity, humanity becomes le grand être, and Mme. de Vaux, as the personification of le grand être, the object of adoration. Comte thought and lived for humanity, and should therefore be respected by humanity. He reformed science, only for the ultimate purpose of reforming manners and morals. He is the founder of sociology.
Plato's conception of nature as an objective standard of human action is a neglected feature of his philosophy. It represents the influence of the Sophists. There were two schools of Sophists, one following νόμος, the other φύσις. Protagoras represents the former, Hippias the latter. In the Protagoras and the Gorgias, Plato accepts the supremacy of law, but tries to harmonise law and nature. The frequent use of the phrases κατὰ φύσιν and παρὰ φύσιν probably indicates a late dialogue. If this be true, then we find a gradual development of naturalistic doctrine, reaching its height in the Laws. Here nature is exalted over law, but, as before, there is an attempt to harmonise the two. Plato's communism was probably derived from the Naturalists. Its great development in the Laws points to his growing sympathy with the latter.
