
FIRST PRINCIPLES.
In this opening volume, the author sets out an ambitious framework for a universal philosophy that seeks to unite the insights of modern science with the deeper questions of religion. He begins by confronting what lies beyond human comprehension, arguing that an absolute reality, though ultimately unknowable, provides a necessary foundation for both scientific inquiry and spiritual belief. By tracing the common threads that run through the great thinkers of his day, he shows how disparate fields converge on a single, overarching truth.
From that metaphysical starting point the work moves to articulate the “laws of the knowable”—general principles that apply across all natural phenomena. These universal generalizations are presented as keys that unlock the patterns of physics, chemistry, biology and beyond, preparing the ground for later volumes that will explore life, mind, and society in detail. Readers can expect a clear, systematic exposition that blends rigorous analysis with a vision of a coherent, evolving cosmos.
Language
en
Duration
~17 hours (1026K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Richard Tonsing and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive)
Release date
2017-07-05
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1820–1903
A major Victorian thinker, he tried to explain everything from biology to ethics through the idea of evolution. He is still widely remembered for coining the phrase "survival of the fittest" and for shaping early sociology and political thought.
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