the origins of contemporary france-1-第63章

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exist　at　the　outset；　abstraction　is　ulterior　and　derivative；　foremost

in　each　science　must　be　placed　examples；　experiences；　evident　facts；

from　these　we　derive　our　general　idea。　　In　the　same　way　we　derive　from

several　general　ideas　of　the　same　degree　another　general　idea；　and　so

on　successively；　step　by　step；　always　proceeding　according　to　the

natural　order　of　things；　by　constant　analysis；　using　expressive　signs；

as　with　mathematicians　in　passing　from　calculation　by　the　fingers　to

calculation　by　numerals；　and　from　this　to　calculation　by　letters；　and

who；　calling　upon　the　eyes　to　aid　Reason；　depict　the　inward　analogy　of

quantities　by　the　outward　analogy　of　symbols。　　In　this　way　science

becomes　complete　by　means　of　a　properly　organized　language。＇24＇　　…

Through　this　reversal　of　the　usual　method　we　summarily　dispose　of

disputes　about　words；　escape　the　illusions　of　human　speech；　simplify

study；　remodel　education；　enhance　discoveries；　subject　every　assertion

to　control；　and　bring　all　truths　within　reach　of　all　understandings。



V。　　THE　ANALYTICAL　METHOD。



The　analytical　method。　　…　Its　principle。　　…　The　conditions　requisite

to　make　it　productive。　　…　These　conditions　wanting　or　inadequate　in　the

18th　century。　　…　The　truth　and　survival　of　the　principle。



Such　is　the　course　to　be　pursued　with　all　the　sciences；　and

especially　with　the　moral　and　political　sciences。　　To　consider　in　turn

each　distinct　province　of　human　activity；　to　decompose　the　leading

notions　out　of　which　we　form　our　conceptions；　those　of　religion；

society　and　government；　those　of　utility；　wealth　and　exchange；　those

of　justice；　right　and　duty。　　To　revert　to　manifest　facts；　to　first

experiences；　to　the　simple　circumstances　in　which　the　elements　of　our

ideas　are　included；　to　extricate　from　these　the　precious　lode　without

omission　or　mixture；　to　recompose　our　idea　with　these；　to　define　its

meaning　and　determine　its　value；　to　substitute　for　the　vague　and

vulgar　notion　with　which　we　started　out　the　precise　scientific

definition　we　arrive　at；　and　for　the　impure　metal　we　received　the

refined　metal　we　recovered；　constituted　the　prevalent　method　taught　by

the　philosophers　under　the　name　of　analysis；　and　which　sums　up　the

whole　progress　of　the　century。　　…　Up　to　this　point；　and　not　farther；

they　are　right；　truth；　every　truth；　is　found　in　observable　things；　and

only　from　these　can　it　be　derived；　there　is　no　other　pathway　leading

to　discovery。…The　operation；　undoubtedly；　is　productive　only　when　the

vein　is　rich；　and　we　possess　the　means　of　extracting　the　ore。　　To

obtain　a　just　notion　of　government；　of　religion；　of　right；　of　wealth；

a　man　must　be　a　historian　beforehand；　a　jurisconsult　and　economist；

and　have　gathered　up　myriad　of　facts；　and；　besides　all　this；　he　must

possess　a　vast　erudition；　an　experienced　and　professional

perspicacity。　　If　these　conditions　are　only　partially　complied　with；

the　result　will　only　be　a　half　finished　product　or　a　doubtful　alloy；　a

few　rough　drafts　of　the　sciences；　the　rudiments　of　pedagogy　as　with

Rousseau；　of　political　economy　with　Quesnay；　Smith；　and　Turgot；　of

linguistics　with　Des　Brosses；　and　of　arithmetical　morals　and　criminal

legislation　with　Bentham。　　Finally；　if　none　of　these　conditions　are

complied　with；　the　same　efforts　will；　in　the　hands　of　philosophical

amateurs　and　oratorical　charlatans；　undoubtedly　only　produce

mischievous　compounds　and　destructive　explosions。　　…　　Nevertheless

good　procedure　remains　good　even　when　ignorant　and　the　impetuous　men

make　a　bad　use　of　it；　and　if　we　of　to　day　resume　the　abortive　effort

of　the　eighteenth　century；　it　should　be　within　the　guidelines　they　set

out。



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Notes：



＇1＇。　　〃Philosophi？　naturalis　principia；〃　1687；　〃Optics；〃　1704。



＇2＇　See　concerning　this　development　Comte's　〃Philosophie　Positive；〃

vol。　　I。　　…　　At　the　beginning　of　the　eighteenth　century；　mathematical

instruments　are　carried　to　such　perfection　as　to　warrant　the　belief

that　all　physical　phenomena　may　be　analyzed；　light；　electricity；

sound；　crystallization；　heat；　elasticity；　cohesion　and　other　effects

of　molecular　forces。　　…　　See　〃Whewell's　History　of　the　Inductive

Sciences。　　II。；　III。



＇3＇　The　travels　of　La　Condamine　in　Peru　and　of　Maupertuis　in

Lapland。



＇4＇　Buffon；　〃Théorie　de　la　terre；〃　1749；　〃Epoques　de　la　Nature；〃

1788。　　…　〃Carte　géologique　de　l'Auvergne；〃　by　Desmarets；　1766。



＇5＇　See　a　lecture　by　M。　Lacaze…Duthier　on　Lamarck；　〃Revue

Scientifique；〃　III。　　276…311。



＇6＇　Buffon；　〃Histoire　Naturelle；　II。　　340：　〃All　living　beings

contain　a　vast　quantity　of　living　and　active　molecules。　　Vegetal　and

animal　life　seem　to　be　only　the　result　of　the　actions　of　all　the　small

lives　peculiar　to　each　of　the　active　molecules　whose　life　is

primitive。〃　Cf。　　Diderot；　〃Revue　d'Alembert。〃



＇8＇　〃Philosophie　de　Newton；〃　1738；　and　〃Physique；〃　by　Voltaire。　　…

Cf。　　du　Bois…Raymond；　〃Voltaire　physician；〃　（Revue　des　Cours

Scientifique；　V。　　539）；　and　Saigey；　〃la　Physique　de　Voltaire；〃　　…　　〃Had

Voltaire；〃　writes　Lord　Brougham；　〃continued　to　devote　himself　to

experimental　physics　he　would　undoubtedly　have　inscribed　his　name

among　those　of　the　greatest　discoverers　of　his　age。〃



＇9＇　See　his　〃Langue　des　Calculs；〃　and　his　〃Art　de　Raisonner。〃



＇10＇　For　a　popular　exposition　of　these　ideas　see　Voltaire；　passim；

and　particularly　the　〃Micromégas〃　and　〃Les　Oreilles　du　Comte　de

Chesterfield。〃



＇11＇　Cf。　　Buffon；　ibid。。　　I。　　31：　〃Those　who　imagine　a　reply　with

final　causes　do　not　reflect　that　they　take　the　effect　for　the　cause。

The　relationship　which　things　bear　to　us　having　no　influence　whatever

on　their　origin；　moral　convenience　can　never　become　a　physical

explanation。〃　　…　　Voltaire；　〃Candide〃：　〃When　His　High　Mightiness　sends

a　vessel　to　Egypt　is　he　in　any　respect　embarrassed　about　the　comfort

of　the　mice　that　happen　to　be　aboard　of　it？〃



＇12＇　Buffon；　ibid。　　。　　〃Supplement；〃　II。　　513；　IV。　　（〃Epoques　de　la

Nature〃）；　65；　167。　　According　to　his　experiments　with　the　cooling　of　a

cannon　ball　he　based　the　following　periods：　From　the　glowing　fluid

mass　of　the　planet　to　the　fall　of　rain　35；000　years。　　From　the

beginning　of　life　to　its　actual　condition　40；000　years。　　From　its

actual　condition　to　the　entire　congealing　of　it　and　the　extinction　of

life　93；000　years。　　He　gives　these　figures　simply　as　the　minima。　　We　now

know　that　they　are　much　too　limited。



＇13＇　Buffon；　Histoire　Naturelle；　ib。　　I。　　12：　〃The　first　truth

derived　from　this　patient　investigation　of　nature　is；　perhaps；　a

humiliating　truth　for　man；　that　of　taking　his　place　in　the　order　of

animals。〃



＇14＇　Voltaire；　〃Philosophie；　Du　principe　d'action：〃　〃All　beings；

without　exception；　are　subject　to　invariable　laws。〃



＇15＇　Voltaire　〃Essay　sur　les　M？urs；〃；　chap。　　CXLVII。；　the　summary；

〃The　intelligent　reader　readily　perceives　that　he　must　believe　only　in

those　great　events　which　appear　plausible；　and　view　with　pity　the

fables　with　which　fanaticism；　romantic　taste　and　credulity　have　at　all

times　filled　the　world。〃



＇16＇　　Note　this　expression；〃　exegetical　methods〃。　　（Chambers　defines

an　exegetist　as　one　who　interprets　or　expounds。）　Taine　refers　to

methods　which　should　allow　the　Jacobins；　socialists；　communists；　and

other　ideologists　to；　from　an　irrefutable　idea　or　expression；　to

deduct；　infer；　conclude　and　draw　firm　and；　to　them；　irrefutable

conclusions。　　（SR。）



＇17＇　〃Traité　de　Metaphysique；〃　chap。　　I。　　〃Having　fallen　on　this

little　heap　of　mud；　and　with　no　more　idea　of　man　than　man　has　of　the

inhabitants　of　Mars　and　Jupiter；　I　set　foot　on　the　shore　of　the　ocean

of　the　country　of　Caffraria　and　at　once　began　to　search　for　a　man。　　I

encounter　monkeys；　elephants　and　Negroes；　with　gleams　of　imperfect

intelligence；　etc〃　…　The　new　method　is　here　clearly　apparent。



＇18＇　〃Introduction　à　l'Essay　sur　les　M？urs：　Des　Sauvages。〃　…

Buffon；　in　〃Epoques　de　la　n