“On conçoit, en effet, que l’étude The historical development of rationelle de chaque science the sciences _has not_ taken fondamentale exigeant la culture place in this serial order; nor préalable de toutes celles qui la in any other serial order. There précèdent dans notre hiérarchie is no “true _filiation_ of the encyclopédique, n’a pu faire de sciences.” From the beginning, progrès réels et prendre son the abstract sciences, the véritable caractère, qu’ après un abstract-concrete sciences, and grand développement des sciences the concrete sciences, have antérieures relatives à des progressed together: the first phénomènes plus généraux, plus solving problems which the second abstraits, moins compliqués, et and third presented, and growing indépendans des autres. C’est done only by the solution of the dans cet ordre que la progression, problems; and the second similarly quoique simultanée, a dû avoir growing by joining the first lieu.” p. 100. in solving the problems of the third. All along there has been a continuous action and reaction between the three great classes of sciences—an advance from concrete facts to abstract facts, and then an application of such abstract facts to the analysis of new orders of concrete facts. (See _Genesis of Science_.) Such then are the organizing principles of M. Comte’s philosophy and my reasons for rejecting them. Leaving out of his “_Exposition_” those pre-established general {131} doctrines which are the common property of modern thinkers; these are the general doctrines which remain—these are the doctrines which fundamentally distinguish his system. From every one of them I dissent. To each proposition I oppose either a widely-different proposition, or a direct negation; and I not only do it now, but have done it from the time when I became acquainted with his writings. The rejection of his cardinal principles should, I think, alone suffice; but there are sundry other views of his, some of them largely characterizing his system, which I equally reject. Let us glance at them.