PROBLEM II. THE PRINCIPLES OF CERTITUDE. "Alles Philosophiren geht aus von einer dem Menschen inwohnenden Sehnsucht nach einer Erkenntniss, die er die Erkenntniss des Wahren nennt, ohne sich selbst genügend erklären zu können, was ihm dieses über alles bedeutende Wort eigentlich bedeute.” — JACOBI. “Τὸ γὰρ αὐτὸ ἄμα ὑπάρχειν τε καὶ μὴ ὑπάρχειν ἀδύνατον τῷ αὐτῷ καὶ κατὰ τὸ αὐτὸ. Αὕτη δὴ πασῶν ἐστὶ βεβαιοτάτη τῶν ἀρχῶν.” TOTLE, Metaph. iii. 3. - ARIS "Sicut lux se ipsam et tenebras manifestat, sic veritas norma sui et falsa est." SPINOZA. "Eine enorme Demuth des Geistes, auf das Erkennen nichts zu halten!"- HEGEL. VOL. II. 1 A THE PRINCIPLES OF CERTITUDE. CHAPTER I. THE PROBLEM STATED. 1. THE Universe is mystic to man, and must ever remain so; for he cannot transcend the limits of his Consciousness, his knowledge being only knowledge of its changes. Minds of deep emotive sensibility are apt to feel pained, even exasperated, by scientific explanations which decline the imaginary aid of some incomprehensible outlying agency not expressible in terms of experience. They dread lest research should dissipate their awe by removing the darkness, and thus rob Nature of that mystery which deepens as they gaze. They are only reconciled to the procedures of research on learning what Explanation truly is, namely, the decomposition of the facts of Experience into their components, and the assigning to each its place; so that what is called accounting for a phenomenon is the pictured, or symbolized, representation of what is not, but what under other conditions might be, a presentation to Feeling. Science is seeing with other eyes. It enables us to foresee results which are not obvious to the inferences of ordinary perception, nay, are often in direct contradiction to such inferences (as when the earth is mentally seen to be revolving round the sun). But this prevision is strictly accordant with all the conditions of vision. If the curve seems to get straighter the more it is magnified, this is no longer so when all other things, the vision included, are magnified in the same ratio. Whenever Reason passes beyond the boundaries of Sense, it is only by an extension or magnification of the data of Sense. 2. We observe phenomena, and we explain them. This means that we have actual feelings, and analyze them into possible feelings; as we grasp things, and take them to pieces to see what they are composed of. The observation, and the judgment which follows observation in an action of some kind, belong to the animal side of our nature with this Logic of Feeling the animal is content. Not so the man. He desires to explain what he sees, to understand what he feels. The Logic of Feeling is in him supplemented and magnified by the Logic of Signs, which has two cardinal procedures, Naming and Measuring. By means of these two kinds of classification the qualitative and the quantitative — he registers his experiences, and those of his contemporaries, in signs, which represent his intellectual wealth as moneys represent his physical wealth. All his names and quantities were originally feelings; he can therefore employ them in lieu of feelings, under certain conditions, as he can exchange coins for goods, under similar conditions, namely, that the coins have the exchangeable values. which he assigns to them. 3. Explanation, then, is analysis, real or ideal, sensible or extra-sensible. It takes the object, or the feeling, to pieces; and is a perfect analysis when the pieces that are obtained can be put together again, and form the original whole. The mechanism of a watch is very complex, but it is perfectly explained when the springs, wheels, cogs, escapements, etc., are exhibited in their reciprocal relations. Having taken it to pieces, we can put it together again; and this synthesis is shown to be perfect by the watch "going" as it "went" before. The mechanism of |