Stirling's “Philosophy of Law”

Abstract

THIS volume contains certain lectures on the Philosophy of Law, delivered to the Juridical Society of Edinburgh in November 1871, together with a discussion of Hegel's opinions concerning gravitation and the differential calculus. Of the lectures we may say, that if the members of the Juridical Society understood them, they must be much more clever than we profess to be. The first lecture is an introduction to philosophy in general, that is, the philosophy of Hegel. It expounds the doctrine of the notion, and discloses in the briefest possible space the “secret of Hegel.” Mr. Stirling has already written a work of two substantial octavo volumes, entitled “The Secret of Hegel.” A friend of the author being found reading it, and being asked what he thought of the “Secret,” answered, “Why, I think the author has kept it.” If then the secret cannot be disclosed in two volumes, how did Mr. Stirling hope to make it plain in a lecture occupying only fifteen printed pages? In reading this lecture we did not enjoy for a single moment the feeling of solid ground. We had an impression that we understood what logic was until we met with the following passage:—

Lectures on the Philosophy of Law.

Together with Whewell and Hegel, and Hegel and Mr. W. R. Smith, a Vindication in a Physico-Mathematical regard. By James Hutchinson Stirling. Edin. (London: Longmans, 1873.)