EDITOR’S PREFACE.
HE name of Rudolph Hermann Lotze, philosopher, has already been made familiar to a large number of readers in this country, and no little interest has been awakened in his opinions upon various philosophical and religious themes. But thus far the number who have attained any trustworthy knowledge as to what those opinions are, has remained exceedingly small. Until very recently all his most important published works have been inaccessible to every one unable to cope with voluminous philosophical German. Within the present year, creditable translations of the two large volumes on Logic and Metaphysic, which constitute all of his System of Philosophy that the author lived to publish, have appeared in England; and a translation of his Mikrokosmus (three volumes in German) is promised soon to appear. These works, however—especially the two former—are not only large but technical and difficult; few are likely to attempt their mastery who are not already trained in the reading of German philosophy. Yet there is scarcely any other recent writer on philosophical subjects whose thoughts are so stimulating for their breadth, penetration and candor; or with whom an acquaintance is so desirable for purposes of general culture through the philosophic way of considering life, with its interests in not merely pure thought, but also in morals, religion, and art.
It affords me, therefore, the pleasure that comes from the hope of being useful to a wide circle of persons, to announce that I have arranged to translate and edit several, if not all, of those little books called ‘Outlines’ which have been given to the public in Germany since the death of their lamented author. These ‘Outlines’ cover the entire ground of Lotze’s mature teaching in the University upon the subjects of Logic, Metaphysic, Philosophy of Nature, Psychology, Æsthetics, Moral Philosophy, Philosophy of Religion, and History of German Philosophy since Kant. A word of explanation as to the origin of these books will suffice to assure the reader that he is to be put into communication with the thoughts of this philosopher in a way which he can trust both as to substance and form of expression. The German from which the translations are to be made consists of the dictated portions of his latest lectures (at Göttingen, and for a few months at Berlin) as formulated by Lotze himself, recorded in the notes of his hearers, and subjected to the most competent and thorough revision of Professor Rehnisch of Göttingen. The ‘Outlines’ give, therefore, a mature and trustworthy statement, in language selected by this teacher of philosophy himself, of what may be considered as his final opinions upon a wide range of subjects. They have met with no little favor in Germany.
I have used such competence and diligence as I could command in translating this first one of the Lotze series which it is proposed to publish. As far as seemed consistent with a desirable accuracy, technical language has been avoided, and the work presented with an English expression. Some of the terms employed in the original, however, do not admit of exact and elegant representation in our language; nor has it been possible—had it been deemed desirable—wholly to disguise the savor of the class-room.
The Metaphysic was selected as the first one of the series for translation, because the views of the author on this subject were always regarded by himself as being, and in fact are, fundamental and initiatory to his views on all the other subjects to be treated. No one can make any progress whatever in understanding the philosophical system of Lotze, or even in seeing the true bearing of his observations on aesthetic, ethical and religious matters, who has not mastered his metaphysical notions. This little book, then, should be regarded as furnishing the key and door to all the rest.