tit THE IDEA OF DISORDER 233 



regularity that &quot;objective&quot; laws actually impose on a 

 virtual disorder of nature, the idealist when he supposes 

 a &quot; sensuous manifold &quot; which is coordinated (and con 

 sequently itself without order) under the organizing 

 influence of our understanding. The idea of disorder, 

 in the sense of absence of order ^ is then what must be 

 analysed first. Philosophy borrows it from daily life. 

 And it is unquestionable that, when ordinarily we 

 speak of disorder, we are thinking of something. But 

 of what ? 



It will be seen in the next chapter how hard it is to 

 determine the content of a negative idea, and what 

 illusions one is liable to, what hopeless difficulties 

 philosophy falls into, for not having undertaken this 

 task. Difficulties and illusions are generally due to 

 this, that we accept as final a manner of expression 

 essentially provisional. They are due to our bringing 

 into the domain of speculation a procedure made 

 for practice. If I choose a volume in my library 

 at random, I may put it back on the shelf after 

 glancing at it and say, &quot;This is not verse.&quot; Is this 

 what I have really seen in turning over the leaves 

 of the book ? Obviously not. I have not seen, I 

 never shall see, an absence of verse. I have seen 

 prose. But as it is poetry I want, I express what I 

 find as a function of what I am looking for, and instead 

 of saying, &quot; This is prose,&quot; I say, &quot; This is not verse.&quot; 

 In the same way, if the fancy takes me to read prose, 

 and I happen on a volume of verse, I shall say, &quot; This 

 is not prose,&quot; thus expressing the data of my perception, 

 which shows me verse, in the language of my expectation 

 and attention, which are fixed on the idea of prose and 

 will hear of nothing else. Now, if Mons. Jourdain 

 heard me. he would infer, no doubt, from my two 



