84 General Scientific Basis of Morality. 



4th. That the criteria of truth, and the mental powers 

 and processes employed for discovering and detecting 

 truth, are the same in mental as in physical science, 

 and, 5th. That mental action is subject to the great 

 principles and laws of science. And moral progress 

 may be proved to have a scientific basis : 1st. By 

 shewing that moral actions are a class of mental 

 actions, and therefore subject to the same fundamental 

 laws and influences : 2nd. That the discovery of new 

 scientific knowledge, and the use of inventions based 

 upon it, often conduce to morality : 3rd. That moral 

 phenomena may be made the subject of experiment, 

 observation, analysis, and inference : 4th. That the 

 criteria of truth, and the mental faculties and pro- 

 cesses employed, in discovering truth, are the same in 

 moral as in physical science : 5th. That the funda- 

 mental rules of morality are subject to the great 

 principles of science : 6th. That moral improvement 

 follows in the wake of scientific advance : and 7th. 

 By showing the moral influence of experimental 

 research in imparting " the scientific spirit ; " pro- 

 moting a love of truth ; dispelling ignorance and 

 superstition; detecting error; imparting certainty and 

 accuracy to our knowledge ; inculcating obedience to- 

 law; producing uniformity of belief ; aiding economy 

 and cleanliness, promoting humanity, &c., &c. Each 

 of these will be treated with extreme brevity, 



MENTAL PROGRESS. 

 The chief object of this chapter is only to shew 



