BOOK I 



THE GREEK SCHOOL PHILOSOPHY, 



CHAPTER II. 



The Greek Schools. 



The Platonic Doctrine of Ideas. 



IN speaking of the Foundation of the Greek School Philosophy, I 

 have referred to the dialogue entitled Parmenides, commonly 

 ascribed to Plato. And the doctrines ascribed to Parmenides, in that 

 and in other works of ancient authors, are certainly remarkable exam- 

 ples of the tendency which prevailed among the Greeks to rush at once 

 to the highest generalizations of which the human mind is capable. 

 The distinctive dogma of the Eleatic School, of which Parmenides was 

 one of the most illustrious teachers, was that All Things are One. 

 This indeed was rather a doctrine of metaphysical theology than of 

 physical science. It tended to, or agreed with, the doctrine that All 

 things are God : — the doctrine commonly called Pantheism. But the 

 tenet of the Platonists which was commonly put in opposition to this, 

 that we must seek The One in the Many, had a bearing upon physical 

 science ; at least, if we interpret it, as it is generally interpreted, that 

 we must seek the one Law which pervades a multiplicity of Phenom- 

 ena. We may however take the liberty of remarking, that to speak 

 of a Rule which is exemplified in many cases, as being " the One in 

 the Many" (a way of speaking by which we put out of sight the con- 

 sideration what very different kinds of things the One and the Many 

 are), is a mode of expression which makes a very simple matter look 

 very mysterious ; and is another example of the tendency which urges 

 speculative men to aim at metaphysical generality rather than scien- 

 tific truth. 



The Dialogue Parmenides is, as I have said, commonly referred to 

 Plato. Yet it is entirely different in substance, manner, and tendency 



