Excerpt from Problems in PhilosophyThis volume may seem to be constructed on the idea of gathering up the fragments that nothing may be lost. This precept, however, wise as it often is, does not express the law of production in the present case. A few points in philosophy invited more clear or more thorough state ment. This labor I chose to undertake directly and brie¿y, rather than to attempt it as a part of a more ex tended and systematic work. One evil in philosophy is the accumulation of fruitless discussions. A few positions fortunately taken may be easily lost in their practical value by the extended treatises which accompany them, traversing old ground with no su¿'icient reward. Philoso phy, above most topics, calls for an explicit statement of a few fundamental principles, and a pushing of inquiry in reference to them, till some satisfactory conclusion is reached. The present volume aims to make, in the most direct way, a contribution on the more obscure topics of philosophy. What it has to say is not, taken collectively, extended, and may be still farther reduced by the reader by confining his attention to the one or more subjects which may appeal directly to him. Only one of these discussions - that on liberty - has appeared elsewhere, and that essay has been somewhat modified.About the PublisherForgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.comThis book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully, any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.