2 APRIL 1927, Page 28

PHILOSOPHY OF THE RECENT PAST. By It

Perry. (Scribners'. 10s. 6d.)—In the last half-cent philosophy has expanded and developed beyond all recognifle By expansion and development we do not, unfortunate!, mean a consistent advance in the direction of agreed cone sions—philosophy to-day is as much a world of conflict' theories, personal tendencies and individual points of vi as it ever was—but a pushing back of the boundaries of phi sophical discussion to embrace a new range of subjects open up by science and psychology. It is these new intern which take pride of place in Professor Perry's exceedingly a survey of philosophical thought during the last sixty yea Of the' four main tendencies whose development he tra Idealism, Naturalism, Vitalism and Realism, all but the fi have been profoundly affected by the new aspects of universe revealed by science, without which indeed emergence as distinctive lines of thought would scarcely ha been possible. Professor Perry contents himself with clew and concisely summarizing these tendencies, and re either from comment or criticism on the theories he expo It is only in the last few pages that he comes forward in own person to hazard the suggestion that the days of fie controversy between the exponents of conflicting schools past It is not so much that they have come to agreement a common position, as agreed to delimit and define the posit' upon which they cannot help but differ. Beyond th positions there is some common ground, though confess very little, which most modern thinkers appear to for granted. The delineation of this common ground and. reason for .regarding it as common form the most interest seetion-of Professor Perry's book: