450 LOGIC OP THE MORAL SCIENCES. 



according to which this question is to be decided, must be 

 those which preside over every other attempt to investigate 

 the laws of very complex phenomena. For it is evident that 

 both the character of any human being, and the aggregate of 

 the circumstances by which that character has been formed, 

 are facts of a high order of complexity. Now to such cases 

 we have seen that the Deductive Mstkod, setting out from 

 general laws, and verifying their consequences by specific 

 experience, is alone applicable. The grounds of this great 

 logical doctrine have formerly been stated : and its truth will 

 derive additional support from a brief examination of the 

 specialities of the present case. 



There are only two modes in which laws of nature can be 

 ascertained : deductively, and experimentally : including under 

 the denomination of experimental inquiry, observation as well 

 as artificial experiment. Are the laws of the formation of 

 character susceptible of a satisfactory investigation by the 

 method of experimentation ? Evidently not ; because, even if 

 we suppose unlimited power of varying the experiment, (which 

 is abstractedly possible, though no one but an oriental despot 

 has that power, or if he had, would probably be disposed to 

 exercise it,) a still more essential condition is wanting; the power 

 of performing any of the experiments with scientific accuracy. 



The instances requisite for the prosecution of a directly 

 experimental inquiry into the formation of character, would 

 be a number of human beings to bring up and educate, from 

 infancy to mature age. And to perform any one of these 

 experiments with scientific propriety, it would be necessary 

 to know and record every sensation or impression received 

 by the young pupil from a period long before it could speak ; 

 including its own notions respecting the sources of all those 

 sensations and impressions. It is not only impossible to do 

 this completely, but even to do so much of it as should con 

 stitute a tolerable approximation. One apparently trivial 

 circumstance which eluded our vigilance, might let in a train 

 of impressions and associations sufficient to vitiate the expe 

 riment as an authentic exhibition of the effects flowing from 

 given causes. No one who has sufficiently reflected on educa- 



