540 LOGIC OF THE MORAL SCIENCES. 



the general maxim, as applied to the specialities of 

 the class of inquiries now under consideration. 



f : 2. The first difficulty which meets us in the 

 attempt to apply experimental methods for ascer- 

 taining the laws of social phenomena, is that we are 

 without the means of making artificial experiments. 

 Even if we could contrive experiments at leisure, and 

 try them without limit, we should do so under im- 

 mense disadvantages ; both from the impossibility of 

 ascertaining and taking note of all the facts of each 

 case, and because (those facts being in a perpetual 

 state of change) before sufficient time had elapsed to 

 ascertain the result of the experiment, some material 

 circumstances would always have ceased to be the 

 same. But it is unnecessary to consider the logical 

 objections which would exist to the conclusiveness of 

 our experiments, since we palpably never have the 

 power of trying any. We can only watch those 

 which nature produces, or those which are produced 

 for other reasons. We cannot adapt our logical 

 means to our wants, by varying the circumstances 

 as the exigencies of elimination may require. If 

 the spontaneous instances, formed by contemporary 

 events and by the successions of phenomena recorded 

 in history, afford a sufficient variation of circum- 

 stances, an induction from specific experience is 

 attainable; otherwise not. The question to be re- 

 solved is, therefore, whether the requisites for induc- 

 tion respecting the causes of political effects or the 

 properties of political agents, are to be met with in 

 history? including under the term, contemporary 

 history. And in order to give fixity to our concep- 

 tions, it will be advisable to suppose this question 



