i 



THE MONADOLOGY 233 



28. In so far as the concatenation of their perceptions 

 is due to the principle of memory alone, men act like the 

 lower animals, resembling the empirical physicians 46 , 

 whose methods are those of mere practice without theory. 

 Indeed, in three-fourths of our actions we are nothing 

 but empirics. For instance, when we expect that there 

 will be daylight to-morrow, we do so empirically, because 

 it has always so happened until now. It is only the 

 astronomer who thinks it on rational grounds 47 . 



29. But it is the knowledge of necessary and eternal 

 truths that distinguishes us from the mere animals and 

 gives us Reason and the sciences, raising us to the know- 

 ledge of ourselves and of God 48 . And it is this in us 

 that is called the rational soul or mind [_esprit\. 



us, we must attend to particular instances in proportion to their 

 frequency ; for then the expectation or recollection of another 

 perception, usually connected with the perception we are ex- 

 periencing, is reasonable ; especially in cases where we have to 

 take precautions. But as the violence [vehemence] of a very powerful 

 impression often produces all at once as much effect as the fre- 

 quency and repetition of several moderate impressions could have 

 done in the long-run, it happens that this violence engraves in the 

 fancy an image as deep and as vivid as long experience could have 

 done. Whence it comes that a chance but violent impression 

 combines in our memory two ideas, which were already together 

 there, and gives us the same inclination to connect them and to 

 expect the one after the other, as if long custom had verified their 

 connexion. Thus association produces the same effect, though the 

 same reason does not exist. Authority and custom produce also 

 the same effect as experience and reason, and it is not easy to free 

 oneself from these inclinations/ Cf. New Essays, Introduction, 

 p. 364. 



46 Until the time of Galen (circa 150 A.D.), there were various 

 sects of physicians. One of these was the sect of the Empirics, 

 who laid stress upon observation of the * visible' antecedents of 

 disease, &c. In later times the name of empiric fell into disrepute 

 and was given to physicians who despised theoretical study and 

 trusted to tradition and to their own individual experience. 



47 Cf. New Essays, Introduction, p. 365, note 39. 



48 The necessary and eternal truths are the first principles of all 

 rational knowledge. They are innate in us. They are, in fact, 

 the very principles of our nature, as of the universe, because it is 

 of our essence to represent the whole universe. Thus conscious- 



