From the Introduction:

"

MUIRHEAD LIBRARY OF PHILOSOPHY

An admirable statement of the aims of the Library of Philosophy

was provided by the first editor, the late Professor J. H.

Muirhead, in his description of the original programme printed in

Erdmann's History of Philosophy under the date 1890. This was

slightly modified in subsequent volumes to take the form of the

following statement:

"The Muirhead Library of Philosophy was designed as a

contribution to the History of Modern Philosophy under the heads:

first of Different Schools of Thought--Sensationalist, Realist,

Idealist, Intuitivist; secondly of different

Subjects--Psychology, Ethics, Aesthetics, Political Philosophy,

Theology. While much had been done in England in tracing the

course of evolution in nature, history, economics, morals and

religion, little had been done in tracing the development of

thought on these subjects. Yet 'the evolution of opinion is part

of the whole evolution'.

"By the co-operation of different writers in carrying out this

plan it was hoped that a thoroughness and completeness of

treatment, otherwise unattainable, might be secured. It was

believed also that from writers mainly British and American

fuller consideration of English Philosophy than it had hitherto

received might be looked for. In the earlier series of books

containing, among others, Bosanquet's "History of Aesthetic,"

Pfleiderer's "Rational Theology since Kant," Albee's "History of

English Utilitarianism," Bonar's "Philosophy and Political

Economy," Brett's "History of Psychology," Ritchie's "Natural

Rights," these objects were to a large extent effected.

"In the meantime original work of a high order was being produced

both in England and America by such writers as Bradley, Stout,

Bertrand Russell, Baldwin, Urban, Montague, and others, and a new

interest in foreign works, German, French and Italian, which had

either become classical or were attracting public attention, had

developed. The scope of the Library thus became extended into

something more international, and it is entering on the fifth

decade of its existence in the hope that it may contribute to

that mutual understanding between countries which is so pressing

a need of the present time."

The need which Professor Muirhead stressed is no less pressing

to-day, and few will deny that philosophy has much to do with

enabling us to meet it, although no one, least of all Muirhead

himself, would regard that as the sole, or even the main, object

of philosophy. As Professor Muirhead continues to lend the

distinction of his name to the Library of Philosophy it seemed

not inappropriate to allow him to recall us to these aims in his

own words. The emphasis on the history of thought also seemed to

me very timely; and the number of important works promised for

the Library in the very near future augur well for the continued

fulfilment, in this and other ways, of the expectations of the

original editor.

H. D. Lewis