Project Gutenberg 2017-07-05 Public domain in the USA. 542 Spencer, Herbert 1820 1903 First Principles 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) "First Principles" by Herbert Spencer is a philosophical treatise written in the mid-19th century. The work is part of a larger series that aims to establish a systematic understanding of philosophy grounded in science, religion, and human experience. It explores the interplay between religion and science, seeking to reconcile their seemingly opposing views on existence and knowledge, and discusses the underlying truths present across various belief systems. The opening of the treatise introduces the ambitious scope of Spencer’s work, as he presents a framework for his philosophical inquiry. He begins with a discussion on the nature of human beliefs, suggesting that even widely-held misconceptions may contain elements of truth. By analyzing the historical perspectives on authority and governance, Spencer underscores the evolution of political thought from divine kingship to modern democratic ideals. He proposes that there is a common thread among all religions and philosophies — the acknowledgment of fundamental truths concerning existence that are often obscured by dogma. Thus, the groundwork is laid for his exploration of "the unknowable" and the "laws of the knowable," setting the stage for a deeper analysis of both the limitations and possibilities of human understanding. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 40.1 (College-level). Difficult to read. en Philosophy and religion Evolution Knowledge, Theory of B Text Category: Philosophy & Ethics Category: Religion/Spirituality 1135997 2025-09-22T05:37:58.411418 text/html 1121759 2024-10-23T02:17:54 text/html 438895 2025-09-22T05:38:07.637374 application/epub+zip 450230 2025-09-22T05:37:59.900398 application/epub+zip 450230 2025-09-22T05:37:59.187404 application/epub+zip 715313 2025-09-22T05:38:14.157302 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 647963 2025-09-22T05:38:06.871329 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 648229 2022-09-25T02:25:44.016705 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 1077079 2025-09-22T05:37:57.590397 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 1057263 2024-10-23T02:17:54 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 16740 2025-09-22T05:38:14.289295 application/rdf+xml 7782 2025-09-22T05:37:59.272417 image/jpeg 1425 2025-09-22T05:37:59.231399 image/jpeg 407099 2025-09-22T05:37:58.495450 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia