An Inquiry Into the Constitution, Powers and Processes of the Human Mind, With a View to the Determination of the Fundamental Principles of Religious, Moral and Political Science

An Inquiry Into The Constitution, Powers And Processes Of The Human Mind, With A View To The Determination Of The Fundamental Principles Of Religious, Moral And Political Science" by William Robinson Pirie presents a practical, non-metaphysical science of the mind aimed at grounding religious, moral, and political truth. It advocates a Baconian, inductive program, rejecting innate ideas and metaphysical systems in favor of careful observation of mental phenomena, precise concepts, and rational analysis. Structured as a four-part survey, the work traces spiritual philosophy from antiquity to modern times, moving through ancient theories, the Middle Ages, early modern critiques of a priori knowledge, and the subsequent Scottish, Continental, and Kantian developments. Pirie engages major figures—from Plato, Aristotle, Epicurus, Bacon, Descartes, Locke, Hartley, Berkeley, Kant to the German and French schools—to argue that genuine knowledge arises from disciplined examination of sensation, memory, association, habit, and reason. He claims progress comes from empirical methods rather than speculative systems, and aims to establish a foundation for religious, moral, and political science grounded in mental science.