NOVUM ORGANUM 37 



LXIY. The empiric school produces dogmas of a more 

 deformed and monstrous nature than the sophistic or theo 

 retic school; not being founded in the light of common no 

 tions (which, however poor and superstitious, is yet in a 

 manner universal, and of a general tendency), but in the 

 confined obscurity of a few experiments. Hence this spe 

 cies of philosophy appears probable, and almost certain to 

 those who are daily practiced in such experiments, and have 

 thus corrupted their imagination, but incredible and futile 

 to others. We have a strong instance of this in the alche 

 mists and their dogmas; it would be difficult to find another 

 in this age, unless perhaps in the philosophy of Gilbert.* 9 

 We could not, however, neglect to caution others against 

 this school, because we already foresee and augur, that if 

 men be hereafter induced by our exhortations to apply seri 

 ously to experiments (bidding farewell to the sophistic doc 

 trines), there will then be imminent danger from empirics, 

 owing to the premature and forward haste of the under 

 standing, and its jumping or flying to generalities and the 

 principles of things. We ought, therefore, already to meet 

 the evil. 

 /^JLX&quot;v). The corruption of philosophy by the mixing of it 



up with superstition and theology, is of a much wider ex 

 tent, and is most injurious to it both as a whole and in parts. 

 For the human understanding is no less exposed to the im 

 pressions of fancy, than to those of vulgar notions. The 

 disputatious and sophistic school entraps the understand 

 ing, while the fanciful, bombastic, and, as it were, poetical 

 school, rather flatters it. There is a clear example of this 



56 Tt is thus the Vulcanists and Neptunians have framed their opposite 

 theories in geology. Phrenology is a modern instance of hasty generaliza 

 tion. Ed. 



