THE PATH OF EVOLUTION 



arbitrarily assumed, and the dependence solely thereon, 

 that produced the infructuous learning then existing. 

 Bacon himself made little or no practical application 

 of his method. Had he done so he would necessarily 

 have modified the procedure recommended. By ex- 

 cluding absolutely all deduction he deprived himself 

 of the use of Hypothesis, the judicious employment 

 whereof is indispensable to scientific investigation. 

 Bacon's aim, as he repeatedly stated, was to benefit 

 mankind by searching out and revealing the proper- 

 ties and phenomena of nature. The rules he laid 

 down for guidance have not proved as serviceable as 

 he had conceived they would be, and the search for 

 the essences, which he considered the ultimate cause 

 of phenomena, has been abandoned. But he suc- 

 ceeded in awakening all men to the observation of 

 the world around them, and to the supreme dignity 

 of the study thereof. 



The principles of the inductive method as now 

 recognized consist (1st) In a careful and systematic 

 observation of the phenomena or characteristics pre- 

 sented by the substance or the thought under consid- 

 eration. (2d) In submitting the substance or the 

 phenomena to variable conditions, artificially pro- 

 duced, or obtained naturally by watching for and 

 varying the time or circumstances existing. (3d) 

 In comparing the results obtained in (1) or (2) with 



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