Mr. Buckle's Fallacies. 181 



that scepticism " has in every department of 

 thought been the invariable preliminary to all the 

 intellectual revolutions through which the human 

 mind has passed," and that " without it there 

 could be no progress, no change, no civilization." l 

 In examining this proposition, it is needful, at 

 the outset, to have a clear idea of the nature of 

 scepticism, as understood by Mr. Buckle. The 

 word itself has been variously interpreted ; some- 

 times in a more general sense, as meaning the 

 absolute denial of all dogmas, theories, and be- 

 liefs whatever ; sometimes in a more special sense, 

 as signifying disbelief in the peculiar doctrines of 

 Christianity. It is in neither of these senses that 

 Mr. Buckle uses the word. He defines scepti- 

 cism as suspension of judgment, or hesitation in 

 forming or receiving an opinion. A true sceptic, 

 then, would neither believe nor disbelieve any- 

 thing at all. He would doubt even his own 

 doubts. History presents but few instances of 

 a consistent and thorough-going sceptic. Pyrrho 

 and Hume will, however, serve sufficiently well 

 as examples. Scepticism is not to be confounded 

 with that philosophy which, not content with 



convenient to examine this law in connection with the fourth, we 

 have taken the liberty to alter Mr. Buckle's arrangement, 

 i Vol. i. p. 328. 



