The Philosophical Review/Volume 1/Review: Philosophy of Locke
This is the initial volume of a Series of Modern Philosophers to be published under the editorial supervision of Dr. E. Hershey Sneath. The plan of the series, as described by the editor in his prospectus, is to present "the substance of the representative systems of modern philosophy in selections from the original works." Each volume is also to contain a biographical sketch of the author; a brief exposition of the system with a statement of its historical relations ; and a bibliography. Seven volumes (dealing with Descartes, Spinoza, Locke, Berkeley, Hume, Reid, Kant, and Hegel) have already been undertaken by such well-known scholars as Ex-President Porter, Professor Fullerton, Professor Royce, and others. The publishers have also purchased Professor Watson's favorably known work, Extracts from the Philosophy of Kant, and have incorporated it in the series. Other volumes may follow, and the editor, with commendable enterprise, is also projecting a similar series of English ethical writers.
The primary object of this series is to promote the study of the history of philosophy by making it more easily possible to bring students into direct communication with the original works, and allowing them to become acquainted with the authors at first hand. Another class of readers, whose wants the editor has in view, is the large number of professional men, particularly clergymen, who desire to extend their knowledge of philosophy, but whose time for such reading is necessarily limited.
It is doubtful if any greater service could be rendered to philosophy than to place before the public, in a convenient and attractive form, the classical presentations of its greatest masters. Every one interested in the advancement of philosophical knowledge in this country will admit the importance of making the works of the great thinkers more accessible to students and to the public generally. These writings have not been treated as they deserve. They have not, by any means, received the same attention as standard works, both ancient and modern, of a more strictly literary character. This series, in so far as it renders philosophical works more easily accessible, is a step in the right direction, and will doubtless prove useful.
Yet I must confess to a prejudice which I doubt not is shared in by many — against presenting a system of philosophy by means of excerpts. To substitute such abridgments would be to put the part in place of the whole, and it would be extremely unfortunate if they ever should supersede in any degree, the use of the complete text. They are, and must necessarily be, interpretations, inasmuch as the author selects the passages which seem to him to best represent the main line of thought. All the arguments which can be urged as to the superiority of a first hand acquaintance with a system, over any knowledge gained through histories of philosophy, will lead us to prefer the complete text to an abridgment. Of course, it is impossible for the average student in a course on the History of Philosophy to read any large portion of the original. Many teachers will prefer, however, that he have the unabridged text in his hands, and read certain chapters or portions which they may direct. From turning over the complete work and reading a chapter here and there, he gains, in my opinion, a more exact knowledge of its spirit, and a juster conception of its proportions than he could from a number of selected passages.
The series would find a larger circle of readers if it could have been published at a much lower rate, even if the present plan had to be modified. For example, the complete text of Locke's Essay can be obtained for little more than ($1.25) the price of the abridgment.
The volume before us appears to me, in the main, an excellent piece of workmanship. The introduction contains an interesting account of the principal events of Locke's life and the general tendency of his philosophy. The classified list of his writings, and a short bibliography increase the value of the book. The selections are generally representative and have been made with excellent judgment. The author as a rule quotes the whole of a paragraph, and thus avoids giving any impression of abruptness. He has also contrived very skilfully to preserve the continuity between the paragraphs and thus to render the book quite readable.
I cannot help thinking that the first book of the Essay has suffered more from abridgment than any of the others. The formal and somewhat artificial arguments against innate ideas which Professor Russell presents to us in the two and a half pages he devotes to this book, represent very inadequately Locke's splendid protest against dogmatism and formalism. That book was, as Professor Campbell Fraser says, "expressly put by Locke as a protest against the tyranny of traditional assumptions and empty words." It was a declaration that men must hereafter think and know for themselves, and that no knowledge is exempt from examination and criticism. The force of this protest is very much weakened, if not entirely lost, in the abridgment.
The opening chapters of the second book, and those parts which deal with Time, Space, and Infinity, with Substance and Cause, are well represented. The most noticeable omission in this book is the long chapter on Power, but no doubt it will receive due attention in the forthcoming volume, which is to deal with Locke's ethical theory. The most important passages of the third book are very skilfully brought together in a brief space. More prominence has been very rightly given to the fourth book, and its more important chapters are well represented. With the exception of the first book, the proportions of the Essay appear to be well preserved.
This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published before January 1, 1929.
The longest-living author of this work died in 1924, so this work is in the public domain in countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 99 years or less. This work may be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works.
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