20
PARTISAN REVIEW
in terms of which we can understand their differences and conceive
them as constituting a conversation. The Liberals particularly set
before us, unsystematically but with a power which has kept its
hold upon our imagination, certain spiritual values "fixed" in con–
cepts such as that of Natural Rights.
Now "Socialist theory," in so far as it existed here, was not
directly a product of academic thinkers. It was not in its nature
to be.
It
consisted rather of overlapping sets of ideas argumentatively
put together by bodies such as the Socialist League and the Fabian
Society. We have never produced a great Socialist philosopher, and
we have paid very limited attention to the one whom we had in
our midst. However, our Socialist thinking was strongly nourished
by philosophical ideas which had become to some extent common
property: the ideas of Locke and the Utilitarians, as well as modified
versions of Marxism and Utopian theories imported from France.
A Socialist philosophy does not, and should not, grow indepen–
dently of the main stream of philosophical ideas. With this in mind,
we turn from the "conceptual conversation" of the past to look at
the contemporary scene, where we notice, of course, a marked con–
trast. Developments in mathematical logic, the influence of scientific
method, the techniques of linguistic analysis, have combined to
produce a new philosophy even more anti-theoretical than its sceptical
predecessor. The creative aspect of philosophy
is
reduced almost
to
nil,
or rather tends to be limited to the invention of what one
might call "logical gadgets." (Russell's Theory of Descriptions would
be
a distinguished example.) The instrument that results
is
for its
purposes excellent, and the critical task of philosophy, of great
importance in a liberal society, has never been performed with
greater exactness and rigor. Many persistent philosophical problems
have been solved by the new method, which represents a genuine
advance and discovery. One consequence, however (and I shall argue
an unnecessary one),
is
that a certain area of thought which was
formerly influential is becoming denuded.
As
philosophy is steadily
drawn in the direction of logic and becomes increasingly a matter for
highly trained experts, it separ.ates itself from, and discourages, the
vaguer and more generally comprehensible theorizing which it used
to nourish and be nourished by; and the serious student who is either
studying philosophy or
is
influenced by it (and there are many of
