One of the most famous intellectuals of the second half of the nineteenth century, Herbert Spencer (1820 1903) wrote across an impressive range of scientific and philosophical subjects. Although at the time his work was successful and influential, especially in America, it has since been subjected to criticism and reassessment. Principally remembered for his evolutionary theory and for coining the term 'survival of the fittest', Spencer came to be regarded as a Social Darwinist and proponent of unrestricted capitalism. In the field of sociology, he advocated the application of scientific...

By the eighteenth century, the term 'sublime' was used to communicate a sense of unfathomable and awe-inspiring greatness, whether in nature or thought. The relationship of sublimity to classical definitions of beauty was much debated, but the first philosopher to portray them as opposing forces was Edmund Burke (1729 97). Originally published in 1757 and reissued here in the revised second edition of 1759, this influential treatise explores the psychological origins of both ideas. Presented as distinct consequences of very separate emotional lineages, beauty and sublimity are traced back...

The utilitarian philosopher and jurist Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832) argues in this collection of letters for the cessation of government control of the rate of interest. The work first appeared in 1787 and is reissued here in the version published in Dublin in 1788. The final letter, addressed to Adam Smith, is a response to Smith's Wealth of Nations (1776), arguing against the limits to inventive industry forced by the restriction on rates. Throughout the work is Bentham's emphasis on the value, both ethical and practical, of allowing private citizens to regulate their own financial dealings....

Reissued here in its corrected second edition of 1864, this essay by John Stuart Mill (1806 73) argues for a utilitarian theory of morality. Originally printed as a series of three articles in Fraser's Magazine in 1861, the work sought to refine the 'greatest happiness' principle that had been championed by Jeremy Bentham (1748 1832), defending it from common criticisms, and offering a justification of its validity. Following Bentham, Mill holds that actions can be judged as right or wrong depending on whether they promote happiness or 'the reverse of happiness'. Although attracted by...

Reissued in its revised 1866 second edition, this work by John Stuart Mill (1806 73) discusses the positivist views of the French philosopher and social scientist Auguste Comte (1798 1857). Comte is regarded as the founder of positivism, the doctrine that all knowledge must derive from sensory experience. The two-part text was originally printed as two articles in the Westminster Review in 1865. Part 1 offers an analysis of Comte's earlier works on positivism in the natural and social sciences, while Part 2 considers its application in areas such as religion and ethics. Mill states that Comte...

Critic, poet and philosopher Friedrich von Schlegel (1772 1829) was a leading figure of German Romanticism. In the two years before his untimely death, he wrote three cycles of lectures intended as part of a larger project to lay the foundations of a new general philosophy. Two of these cycles, 'Philosophie des Lebens' (given in 1827, published 1828) and 'Philosophie des Sprache und des Wortes' (given in December 1828 and published posthumously), are reissued here in an 1847 English translation. The first presents Schlegel's understanding of philosophy as independent of theology or politics,...