Publisher's Synopsis
This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1912 edition. Excerpt: ... PHILOSOPHY AND THEOSOPHY A LECTURE DELIVERED AT STUTTGART ON AUGUST 17, 1908 Authorised Translation By A.B. PHILOSOPHY AND THEOSOPHY A FTER having come to the close of a long course of purely Theosophic Lectures, we will to-day assume a different tone. I must therefore ask you, from the very outset, to take into consideration that to-day's address is not in the actual sense a Theosophic one, and that the purely philosophic tone which must be adopted may, to such as are unaccustomed to this mode of thought, seem somewhat abstract and difficult. I have a definite reason for this departure: it is, that again and again, and more especially in those circles possessing, or believing themselves to possess, a certain amount of philosophic training, the opinion must arise (and I use the word "must" advisedly) that Theosophy is tolerable only to persons who have been unable to pursue their philosophic, or scientific, studies beyond a certain point of amateurishness. It might easily be presumed in such circles that a person possessing thorough philosophic training, and acquainted with what are the foundations of scientific assumptions and convictions, could from the very beginning never concern himself with all those fantasies presumably accepted as "higher experiences;" that such things could but appeal to those who were as yet unripe for philosophic thought. Now, in order to ascertain to what this opinion is due, we will, for once in a way, ourselves take a survey of the activities of Philosophy. This can be done only in a perfunctory manner to-day, giving the merest indications; but when on some future occasion I may have the opportunity of speaking in a more detailed manner about these things, you will be in a position to see for yourselves...
