ETHOLOGY. 517 



logical principles 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 pheno- 

 mena. 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 Method, setting out from 

 general laws, and verifying their consequences by spe- 

 cific 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 suscep- 

 tible 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 either s has that power, or if he had, 

 would 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 



