PHASES OF POPULAR THOUGHT

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2175, 13 June 1914, Page 4

PHASES OF POPULAR THOUGHT

"Gnosrs ar« walking again," so the Dean ol St-,_ Paxil's (Lit, I-NQj!) tells us, acccrding to a cablegram which appeared in a- rcceftt- i-ssne of; The Doiiisios. fitt ateo states that ■ the rc\ oit against int-etiocttinl.isni •and dcwrminism is in full blast, and that PiiOFEssoß EliOKEjf's pbilo.Rojihy : is tlio true lino of progress in religion, Dk. Buckes, who is Professor of I'hiiosophy at Joiia University. is at present in England, and the gathering at which De. Inge made tiicse, itvinarks was no t doubt one of the meo-tinga aritii?go.d in conncfttjon with the visit ot this d'is' tinguifbctl G-ei'B-an.. schokir. I)p,. ■ iM-cKiiS has. many .disciples in ■ Britain, and quite a number of his hooks have beon translated into English, one of his interprefers being 1)r. Ti.'Dok Jos.es. who is well Iciifnyii !in Wellington., bnving been in charge of . the Unitarian ("iiuTeh in this city for some years, Tim ugh it e-a-nilot bo dai.med Ids Ehck© that ho holds such a dominating position, in the world of thought as Hegkl, his grnifc predecessor in the. Jena timir, yet- with the. exception of; Hkxri Bhctsox, the celebrated French philosopher, his views are. probably receiving more, attention, at tile present time' than-, those of any ' other living think Dr .: So- was awarded tho Nobel Prizo for literature ; ifi 1908, and from that, timb his influence hsts been steadily extending, especially in English-speaking cqu»tries. Sis great theme is the transformation and renewal of the spiritual life, and his problem is to interpret the- universe in such a way as to help the human race to maintain its highest ideals. So cannot bp regardeii as one of the leaders of the. revolt against inlellectnalisra. In his teference to this print, Dr. Inqe nro'tmbiy kid .Beroson or Wili i vit Jasies ia his mind. _ Beßgsox ba,s been accused of glorifyi®(g instinct -at the_ expense of intellect, and Kijine eritiics have contended that his philosophy is a form of irrationalisin, This is- denied by M. Le Roy, oti-e of Reugson's best' intepi'c'WS, though life admits that "we distrust ißteliectu rtlisin'" —tho.t is, the t.e.ti-deii-cy "to live- uniquely by infcl'l'igenee, to think .as. if Ms? whole, of tbought, consisted .in and reasoning iiwlerstandtng. ' lust,inet, iinuitioh, and will must also be allowed to th«si,r part. A,s regards the revolt against deiermiHis.m, ■ Or, Isok himself' probably sympathises, with it- to a considerable, -extent. He- could hardly acpnpt thc ■ view that fi'ee will is an illusion, ami that all our .doing.? are determined by a, mechanic;-•! 'iicefts.srt.y. Siu;h a theory Is quite iilcp'rapatilVl.D with Db. EwcKes's' coiicention of ttn? spiritual life which tiie Dean of St Paul's looks upon as tho tine line of progress-' One cftnnot help admiring the courageous maimer in which Dr. Ikge oha-ilcnges tlie various phases of popular thought to justify them* selves, He persists in getting down to reality, *4.nd will not bo content w f ith vague Sentiwents a n 'l hazy theories no rfiatter how great the name, under which they nttty take shelter. His addresses -always stinr.i-. late thought and help to' brace tlie mind lip to grapnle resolutely and intlepeniefttly with the problems oi life,' instead of slavishly adopting the intellectual fashion of the pass ing hour.