M. Boutroux's Philosophy 4 Lecture

M. Emile Boutroux delivered the sixth of his lectures in connection with Philosophy 4 yesterday afternoon on the general subject, "Contingence et Liberte." The next lecture will be delivered in Emerson J next Monday at 4.30 o'clock.

In yesterday's lecture M. Boutroux pointed out that the three postulates of science are: a world real, well ordered, and admitting of novelties; but science cannot account for these, save by referring them to chance, whereas we have seen that human consciousness, considered as feeling, attributes a true meaning to the word reality. An analogous justification of the postulate of orderly relation is supplied by another form of human consciousness, intelligence. By this is meant, not scientific intelligence, but living intelligence, which creates relations of harmony between real beings.

Intelligence may surely be retained as real even by those who are unwilling to admit anything not rationally connected with the objects of positive science. Now, if science does not mean a mere illusory process, the creative operation of intelligence, as distinguished from the scientific reduction of reality to inert terms, may be considered as absolutely pertinent to the nature of reality, and as well entitled to command all our efforts in its carrying out.