The History of Materialism and Criticism of Its Present Importance

Lange’s lengthy history contains a useful overview of materialist authors from Lucretius to Holbach, along with some (biased) discussion of the Kantian and post-Kantian reaction against materialist thought. Although Lange is sympathetic to many forms of materialism, he ultimately argues that there can be no scientific explanation of conscious thought. The fact that “the external, natural phenomenon is at the same time an internal one for the thinking subject: that is the point which altogether overpasses the limits of our knowledge of nature” (161). Thus, although he agrees with its spirit, Lange holds that philosophical defenses of materialism have little scientific value.

Lange, Frederick Albert

Translated by E. C. Thomas. New York: The Humanities Press, 1950 [1865]

Grey, John

German

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