quoi qu’il n’ait pu se developper que beaucoup plus tard. Une telle notion importe extremement a la parfaite rationalite de notre theorie sociologique, puisque la vie humaine ne pouvant jamais offrir aucune veritable creation quelconque, mais toujours une simple evolution graduelle, l’essor final de l’esprit positif deviendrait scientifiquement incomprehensible, si, des l’origine, on n’en concevait, a tous egards, les premiers rudiments necessaires.  Depuis cette situation primitive, a mesure que nos observations se sont spontanement etendues et generalisees, cet essor, d’abord a peine appreciable, a constamment suivi, sans cesser longtemps d’etre subalterne, une progression tres-lente, mais continue, la philosophie theologique restant toujours reservee pour les phenomenes, de moins en moins nombreux, dont les lois naturelles ne pouvaient encore etre aucunement connues.”

Compare the propositions implicitly laid down here with those contained in the earlier volume. (a) As a matter of fact, the human intellect has not been invariably subjected to the law of the three states, and therefore the necessity of the law cannot be demonstrable a priori. (b) Much of our knowledge of all kinds has not passed through the three states, and more particularly, as M. Comte is careful to point out, not through the first, (c) The positive state has more or less co-existed with the theological, from the dawn of human intelligence.  And, by way of completing the series of contradictions, the assertion that the three states are “essentially different and even radically opposed,” is met a little lower on the same page by the declaration that “the metaphysical state is, at bottom, nothing but a simple general modification of the first;” while, in the fortieth Lecon, as also in the interesting early essay entitled “Considerations philosophiques sur les Sciences et les Savants (1825),” the three states are practically reduced to two.  “Le veritable esprit general de toute philosophie theologique ou metaphysique consiste a prendre pour principe, dans l’explication des phenomenes du monde exterieur, notre sentiment immediat des phenomenes humains; tandis que au contraire, la philosophie positive est toujours caracterisee, non moins profondement, par la subordination necessaire et rationnelle de la conception de l’homme a celle du monde."[21]

I leave M. Cointe’s disciples to settle which of these contradictory statements expresses their master’s real meaning.  All I beg leave to remark is, that men of science are not in the habit of paying much attention to “laws” stated in this fashion.