beacon lights of history-iii-2-第66章

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and　telephones　and　Thames　tunnels　and　Crystal　Palaces　and　Niagara

bridges　and　railways　over　the　Rocky　Mountains！　　The　day　of　our

deliverance　is　come；　the　nations　are　saved；　the　Brunels　and　the

Fieldses　are　our　victors　and　leaders！　　Crown　them　with　Olympic

leaves；　as　the　heroes　of　our　great　games　of　life。　　And　thou；　O

England！　exalted　art　thou　among　the　nations；not　for　thy　Oxfords

and　Westminsters；　not　for　thy　divines　and　saints　and　martyrs　and

poets；　not　for　thy　Hookers　and　Leightons　and　Cranmers　and　Miltons

and　Burkes　and　Lockes；　not　for　thy　Reformation；　not　for　thy

struggles　for　liberty；but　for　thy　Manchesters　and　Birminghams；

thy　Portsmouth　shipyards；　thy　London　docks；　thy　Liverpool

warehouses；　thy　mines　of　coal　and　iron；　thy　countless　mechanisms　by

which　thou　bringest　the　wealth　of　nations　into　thy　banks；　and　art

enabled　to　buy　the　toil　of　foreigners　and　to　raise　thy　standards　on

the　farthest　battlements　of　India　and　China。　　These　conquests　and

acquisitions　are　real；　are　practical；　machinery　over　life；　the

triumph　of　physical　forces；　dominion　over　waves　and　winds；these

are　the　great　victories　which　consummate　the　happiness　of　man；　and

these　are　they　which　flow　from　the　philosophy　which　Bacon　taught。



Now　Macaulay　does　not　directly　say　all　these　things；　but　these　are

the　spirit　and　gist　of　the　interpretation　which　he　puts　upon

Bacon's　writings。　　The　philosophy　of　Bacon　leads　directly　to　these

blessings；　and　these　constitute　its　great　peculiarity。　　And　it

cannot　be　denied　that　the　new　era　which　Bacon　heralded　was　fruitful

in　these　very　things；that　his　philosophy　encouraged　this　new

development　of　material　forces；　but　it　may　be　questioned　whether　he

had　not　something　else　in　view　than　mere　utility　and　physical

progress；　and　whether　his　method　could　not　equally　be　applied　to

metaphysical　subjects；　whether　it　did　not　pertain　to　the　whole

domain　of　truth；　and　take　in　the　whole　realm　of　human　inquiry。　　I

believe　that　Bacon　was　interested；　not　merely　in　the　world　of

matter；　but　in　the　world　of　mind；　that　he　sought　to　establish

principles　from　which　sound　deductions　might　be　made；　as　well　as　to

establish　reliable　inductions。　　Lord　Campbell　thinks　that　a　perfect

system　of　ethics　could　be　made　out　of　his　writings；　and　that　his

method　is　equally　well　adapted　to　examine　and　classify　the

phenomena　of　the　mind。　　He　separated　the　legitimate　paths　of　human

inquiry；　giving　his　attention　to　poetry　and　politics　and

metaphysics；　as　well　as　to　physics。　　Bacon　does　not　sneer　as

Macaulay　does　at　the　ancient　philosophers；　he　bears　testimony　to

their　genius　and　their　unrivalled　dialectical　powers；　even　if　he

regards　their　speculations　as　frequently　barren。　　He　does　not

flippantly　ridicule　the　homoousian　and　the　homoiousian　as　mere

words；　but　the　expression　and　exponent　of　profound　theological

distinctions；　as　every　theologian　knows　them　to　be。　　He　does　not

throw　dirt　on　metaphysical　science　if　properly　directed；　still　less

on　noble　inquiries　after　God　and　the　mysteries　of　life。　　He　is

subjective　as　well　as　objective。　　He　treats　of　philosophy　in　its

broadest　meaning；　as　it　takes　in　the　province　of　the　understanding；

the　memory；　and　the　will；　as　well　as　of　man　in　society。　　He　speaks

of　the　principles　of　government　and　of　the　fountains　of　law；　of

universal　justice；　of　eternal　spiritual　truth。　　So　that　Playfair

judiciously　observes　（and　he　was　a　scientist）　〃that　it　was　not　by

sagacious　anticipations　of　science；　afterwards　to　be　made　in

physics；　that　his　writings　have　had　so　powerful　an　influence；　as　in

his　knowledge　of　the　limits　and　resources　of　the　human

understanding。　　It　would　be　difficult　to　find　another　writer；　prior

to　Locke；　whose　works　are　enriched　with　so　many　just　observations

on　mere　intellectual　phenomena。　　What　he　says　of　the　laws　of

memory；　or　imagination；　has　never　been　surpassed　in　subtlety。　　No

man　ever　more　carefully　studied　the　operation　of　his　own　mind　and

the　intellectual　character　of　others。〃　　Nor　did　Bacon　despise

metaphysical　science；　only　the　frivolous　questions　that　the　old

scholastics　associated　with　it；　and　the　general　barrenness　of　their

speculations。　　He　surely　would　not　have　disdained　the　subsequent

inquiries　of　Locke；　or　Berkeley；　or　Leibnitz；　or　Kant。　　True；　he

sought　definite　knowledge；something　firm　to　stand　upon；　and　which

could　not　be　controverted。　　No　philosophy　can　be　sound　when　the

principle　from　which　deductions　are　made　is　not　itself　certain　or

very　highly　probable；　or　when　this　principle；　pushed　to　its　utmost

logical　sequence；　would　lead　to　absurdity；　or　even　to　a　conflict

with　human　consciousness。　　To　Bacon　the　old　methods　were　wrong；　and

it　was　his　primal　aim　to　reform　the　scientific　methods　in　order　to

arrive　at　truth；　not　truth　for　utilitarian　ends　chiefly；　but　truth

for　its　own　sake。　　He　loved　truth　as　Palestrina　loved　music；　or

Raphael　loved　painting；　or　Socrates　loved　virtue。



Now　the　method　which　was　almost　exclusively　employed　until　Bacon's

time　is　commonly　called　the　deductive　method；　that　is；　some

principle　or　premise　was　assumed　to　be　true；　and　reasoning　was　made

from　this　assumption。　　No　especial　fault　was　found　with　the

reasoning　of　the　great　masters　of　logic　like　Aristotle　and　Thomas

Aquinas；　for　it　never　has　been　surpassed　in　acuteness　and　severity。

If　their　premises　were　admitted；　their　conclusions　would　follow　as

a　certainty。　　What　was　wanted　was　to　establish　the　truth　of

premises；　or　general　propositions。　　This　Bacon　affirmed　could　be

arrived　at　only　by　induction；　that　is；　the　ascending　from

ascertained　individual　facts　to　general　principles；　by　extending

what　is　true　of　particulars　to　the　whole　class　in　which　they

belong。　　Bacon　has　been　called　the　father　of　inductive　science；

since　he　would　employ　the　inductive　method。　　Yet　he　is　not　truly

the　father　of　induction；　since　it　is　as　old　as　the　beginnings　of

science。　　Hippocrates；　when　he　ridiculed　the　quacks　of　his　day；　and

collected　the　facts　and　phenomena　of　disease；　and　inferred　from

them　the　proper　treatment　of　it；　was　as　much　the　father　of

induction　as　Bacon　himself。　　The　error　the　ancients　made　was　in　not

collecting　a　sufficient　number　of　facts　to　warrant　a　sound

induction。　　And　the　ancients　looked　out　for　facts　to　support　some

preconceived　theory；　from　which　they　reasoned　syllogistically。　　The

theory　could　not　be　substantiated　by　any　syllogistic　reasonings；

since　conclusions　could　never　go　beyond　assumptions；　if　the

assumptions　were　wrong；　no　ingenious　or　elaborate　reasoning　would

avail　anything　towards　the　discovery　of　truth；　but　could　only

uphold　what　was　assumed。　　This　applied　to　theology　as　well　as　to

science。　　In　the　Dark　Ages　it　was　well　for　the　teachers　of　mankind

to　uphold　the　dogmas　of　the　Church；　which　they　did　with　masterly

dialectical　skill。　　Those　were　ages　of　Faith；　and　not　of　Inquiry。

It　was　all…important　to　ground　believers　in　a　firm　faith　of　the

dogmas　which　were　deemed　necessary　to　support　the　church　and　the

cause　of　religion。　　They　were　regarded　as　absolute　certainties。

There　was　no　dispute　about　the　premises　of　the　scholastic's

arguments；　and　hence　his　dialectics　strengthened　the　mind　by　the

exercise　of　logical　sports；　and　at　the　same　time　confirmed　the

faith。



The　world　never　saw　a　more　complete　system　of　dogmatic　theology

than　that　elaborated　by　Thomas　Aquinas。　　When　the　knowledge　of　the

Greek　and　Hebrew　was　rare　and　imperfect；　and　it　was　impossible　to

throw　light　by　means　of　learning　and　science　on　the　texts　of

Scripture；　it　was　well　to　follow　the　interpretation　of　such　a　great

light　as　Augustine；　and　assume　his　dogmas　as　certainties；　since

they　could　not　then　be　controverted；　and　thus　from　them　construct　a

system　of　belief　which　would　confirm　the　faith。　　But　Aquinas；　with

his　Aristotelian　method　of　syllogism　and　definitions；　could　not　go

beyond　Augustine。　　Augustine　was　the　fountain；　and　the　water　that

flowed　from　it　in　ten　thousand　channels　could