SOURCES OP HUMAN KNOWLEDGE. 21 



he reasoned so profoundly, on science, and especially on morals, and 

 politics, that he has justly been called the father of philosophy. 

 The mode of conveying instruction by asking questions of pupils, 

 and reasoning with them familiarly, is from him called the Socratic 

 method. 



The Academic school, was founded by Plato ; who was the favor- 

 ite pupil of Socrates, and who died about 348 B. C. He taught in 

 the grove of Academus, in the suburbs of Athens ; maintaining that 

 the human soul is a ray, or emanation, from the Divinity ; to which 

 it must again return, when purified from its earthly dross ; and that 

 the greatest earthly good consists in the companionship of kindred 

 souls, searching after truth. The Cynic school was founded by Jlntis- 

 thenes ; who flourished about 396 B. C. ; and who was chiefly noted 

 for his austerity. The Cyrenaic school was founded by Aristippus 

 of Gyrene; who flourished about 392 B. C. ; and who gave himself 

 up to selfish pleasure. The Megaric school was founded by Euclid 

 of Megara, who died 424 B. C. ; and it was also called the Eristic 

 school, from his fondness for disputation. The last three named 

 schools are of minor importance. 



The Peripatetic school, was founded by Jlristotle of Stagira ; who 

 was the preceptor of Alexander the Great; and who died 322 B. C. 

 He had been a pupil of Plato, whose doctrines he for the most part 

 adopted, but developed and extended. He wrote on all the branches 

 of knowledge then known ; and his writings have exerted a strong 

 influence, even down to modern times. His system of philosophy was 

 long regarded as complete ; though now proved to be in some respects 

 erroneous, and in many things deficient. The Sceptic school originated 

 with Pyrrho of Elis, who flourished about 340 B. C. ; and whodoubted 

 of every thing, and therefore placed his supreme good in indifference to 

 all things. The Epicurean sect, was founded by Epicurus of Gar- 

 gettus, who died 270 B.C. He taught that pleasure was the chief object 

 of life ; but placed his pleasure in habits of temperance and benefi- 

 cence. His doctrines were afterwards grossly corrupted. 



The Stoic sect, was founded by Zeno of Citium, who died 264 

 B. C. His famous dogma was, that we should live in conformity to 

 nature, and be equally resigned to all events. Finally, the Eclectic 

 school of philosophy arose at a much later period ; first under Pota- 

 mon of Alexandria, about the date of the Christian era ; and after- 

 wards under Ammonius of Alexandria, about A. D. 193. Its original 

 object was to select the best parts of all the previous systems, parti- 

 cularly those of Plato and Aristotle ; and to combine them in one har- 

 monious whole : but its tenets were afterward employed as a means 

 of undermining the Christian Religion. 



The doctrines of Aristotle, revived and modified, gave rise in the 

 ninth century to the Scholastic philosophy ; characterized by theo- 

 logical speculations, and metaphysical subtleties ; the teachers of 

 which have received the appellation of scholastics or schoolmen. The 

 elder scholastics maintained that abstract ideas, expressed by general 

 terms, are real existences, or essences of the things themselves. 

 Hence they were called Realists. This dogma was controverted by 

 Roscellinus; who founded the sect of the Nominalists; maintaining 



