COSMIC PHILOSOPHY 



vation, or by deduction based on observation, 

 have they extended the boundaries of know- 

 ledge. Just so far as they have neglected such 

 verification have they gone astray amid the 

 countless vagaries which have ever loved to en- 

 cumber the path of scientific inquiry. To ad- 

 mit that we do not know what we have not 

 verified requires rare self-denial, no doubt ; a 

 self-denial to which nothing, save the patient 

 habit of scientific inquiry, can fully accustom us. 

 This is the " inconvenience " of which Comte 

 speaks, as attaching to the objective method. 

 But mankind are fast reaching philosophic ma- 

 turity; and we are already getting too thor- 

 oughly used to the requirements of science to 

 be much longer content with the childish de- 

 vice of playing that whatever is in our ideas is 

 in the facts. Whatever may be our failings in 

 practice, we have become nearly unanimous in 

 the declaration that before any hypothesis can 

 be accepted it must be verified. 



Strange that in the latter half of the nine- 

 teenth century these criticisms should still need 

 to be made ! Stranger still that they should be 

 called forth by the writings of tl\e great succes- 

 sor of Bacon and organizer of positive philo- 

 sophy ! Strangest of all that able men should 

 still be found so imbued with the spirit of dis- 

 cipleship as to resort to all manner of logical 

 subterfuges in order to destroy their force ! 

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