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history of philosophy-第44章

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produced。 In consciousness it then adopts the attitude of having cut away the bridge from behind
it; it appears to be free to launch forth in its other only; and to develop without resistance in this
medium; but it is another matter to attain to this ether and to development in it。 We must not
overlook the fact that Philosophy would not have come into existence without this process; for
mind is essentially a working upon something different。

1。 Bacon’s fame rests on two works。 In the first place; he has the merit of having in his work De
augmentis scientiarum presented to us a systematic encyclopedia of the sciences; an outline
which must undoubtedly have caused a sensation amongst his contemporaries。 It is important to
set before men’s eyes a well arranged picture such as this of the whole; when that whole has not
been grasped in thought。 This encyclopedia gives a general classification of the sciences; the
principles of the classification are regulated in accordance with the differences in the intellectual
capacities。 Bacon thus divides human learning according to the faculties of memory; imagination;
and reason; for he distinguishes what pertains (1) to memory; (2) to imagination; (3) to reason。
Under memory he considered history; under imagination; poetry; and art; and finally; under
reason; philosophy。 (3) According to his favourite method of division these again are further
divided; since he brings all else under these same heads; this is; however; unsatisfactory。 To
history belong the works of God — sacred; prophetic; ecclesiastical history; the works of men —
civil and literary history; and likewise the works of nature; and so on。 (4) He goes through these
topics after the manner of his time; a main characteristic of which is that anything can be made
plausible through examples; e。g。; from the Bible。 Thus; in treating of Cosmetica; he says in regard
to paint that “He is surprised that this depraved custom of painting has been by the penal laws both
ecclesiastical and civil so long overlooked。 In the Bible we read indeed of Jezebel that she painted
her face; but nothing of the kind is said of Esther or Judith。” (5) If kings; popes; etc。; are being
discussed; such examples as those of Ahab and Solomon must be brought forward。 As formerly in
civil laws — those respecting marriage; for instance — the Jewish forms held good; in Philosophy;
too; the same are still to be found。 In this work theology likewise appears as also magic; there is
contained in it a comprehensive system of knowledge and of the sciences。

The arrangement of the sciences is the least significant part of the work De augmentis
scientiarum。 It was by its criticism that its value was established and its effect produced; as also
by the number of instructive remarks contained in it; all this was at that time lacking in the
particular varieties of learning and modes of discipline; especially in as far as the methods hitherto
adopted were faulty; and unsuitable to the ends in view: in them the Aristotelian conceptions of the
schools were spun out by the understanding as though they were realities。 As it was with the
Schoolmen and with the ancients; this classification is still the mode adopted in the sciences; in
which the nature of knowledge is unknown。 In them the idea of the science is advanced
beforehand; and to this idea a principle foreign to it is added; as a basis of division; just as here is
added the distinction between memory; imagination and reason。 The true method of division is
found in the self…division of the Notion; its separating itself from itself。 In knowledge the moment of
self…consciousness is undoubtedly found; and the real self…consciousness has in it the moments of
memory; imagination and reason。 But this division is certainly not taken from the Notion of
self…consciousness; but from experience; in which self…consciousness finds itself possessed of
these capacities。

2。 The other remarkable feature in Bacon is that in his second work; his Organon; he sought at
great length to establish a new method in learning; in this regard his name is still held greatly in
honour by many。 What chiefly distinguishes his system is his polemical attitude towards scholastic
methods as they had hitherto existed; towards syllogistic forms。 He calls these methods
anticipationes natur?; in them men begin with pre…suppositions; definitions; accepted ideas; with
a scholastic abstraction; and reason further from these without regarding that which is present in
actuality。 Thus regarding God and His methods of operating in nature; regarding devils; &c。; they
make use of passages from the Bible; such as “Sun; stand thou still;” in order to deduce
therefrom certain metaphysical propositions from which they go further still。 It was against this a
priori method that Bacon directed his polemic; as against these anticipations of nature he called
attention to the explanation; the interpretation of nature。 (6) “The same action of mind;” he says;
“which discovers a thing in question; judges it; and the operation is not performed by the help of
any middle term; but directly; almost in the same manner as by the sense。 For the sense in its
primary objects at once apprehends the appearance of the object; and consents to the truth
thereof。” (7) The syllogism is altogether rejected by Bacon。 As a matter of fact; this Aristotelian
deduction is not a knowledge through itself in accordance with its content: it requires a foreign
universal as its basis; and for that reason its movement is in its form contingent。 The content is not
in unity with the form; and this form is hence in itself contingent; because it; considered on its own
account; is the movement onwards in a foreign content。 The major premise is the content existent
for itself; the minor is likewise the content not through itself; for it goes back into the infinite; i。e。; it
has not the form in itself; the form is not the content。 The opposite may always be made out
equally well through the syllogism; for it is a matter of indifference to this form what content is
made its basis。 “Dialectic does not assist in the discovery of the arts; many arts were found out by
chance。” (8)

It was not against this syllogism generally; i。e。; not against the Notion of it (for Bacon did not
possess this); but against deduction as it was put into operation; as it was to the scholastics — the
deduction which took an assumed content as its basis — that Bacon declaimed; urging that the
content of experience should be made the basis; and the method of induction pursued。 He
demanded that observations on nature and experiments should be made fundamental; and pointed
out the objects whose investigation was of special importance in the interests of human society;
and so on。 From this there then resulted the establishment of conclusions through induction and
analogy。 (9) In fact it was only to an alteration in the content that; without being aware of it; Bacon
was impelled。 For though he rejected the syllogism and only permitted conclusions to be reached
through induction; he unconsciously himself drew deductions; likewise all these champions of
empirici
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