Excerpt from Schools of Ancient Philosophy Reflection, the characteristic of humanity, which distinguishes it from the instinctive im pulses Of the animal, has led men, in all ages, to investigate their own nature, and the ex ternal and internal influences by which it is afi'ected. Philosophy, or the love of wisdom, which originates in this spirit of inquiry, claims for its legitimate object the elevation of the intellectual' and moral powers; 'since the subjects of thought with which it is conversant have an ennobling tendency. They consist' in the contemplation Of the highest spiritual essence, God; the soul of man; and matter, which com prehends the relations of the body. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.