speculations of metaphysics in constant and wholesome contact with the concrete, actual world in which we live, move, and have our being. VIII. REMARKS ON SOME MISGIVINGS AND PREJUDICES.—The student, especially the beginner, will find the investigations in this volume rather abstract; but if he remembers that the content of our intellectual concepts, be they ever so abstract and universal, is really embodied in the individual things and events of his daily experience, he will not be disposed to denounce all ultimate analysis of these concepts as “unprofitable” or “unreal”. He will recognize that the reproach of “talking in the air,” which was levelled by an eminent medieval scholastic(30) at certain philosophers of his time, tells against the metaphysical speculations of Conceptualism, but not against those of Moderate Realism. The reproach is commonly cast at _all_ systematic metaphysics nowadays—from prejudices too numerous and varied to admit of investigation here.(31) The modern prejudice which denies the very possibility of metaphysics, a prejudice arising from Phenomenism, Positivism, and Agnosticism—systems which are themselves no less metaphysical than erroneous—will be examined in due course.(32) But really in order to dispel all such misgivings one has only to remember that metaphysics, systematic or otherwise, is nothing more than a man’s reasoned outlook on the world and life. Whatever his conscious opinions and convictions may be regarding the nature and purpose of himself, and other men, and the world at large—and if he use his reason at all he must have some sort of opinions and convictions, whether positive or negative, on these matters—those opinions and convictions are precisely that man’s metaphysics. “Breaking free for the moment from all historical and technical definition, let us affirm: _To get at reality_—this is the aim of metaphysics.” So writes Professor Ladd in the opening chapter of his _Theory of Reality_.(33) But if this is so, surely a systematic attempt to “get at reality,” no matter how deep and wide, no matter how abstract and universal be the conceptions and speculations to which it leads us, cannot nevertheless always and of necessity have the effect of involving us in a mirage of illusion and unreality.