PHILOSOPHY AS AN ORGANON 



thinks it necessary to master the general theory 

 of evidence as presented in special treatises. 

 Logic is to the philosopher and the scientific 

 inquirer what the law of evidence is to the law- 

 yer ; and the need for its theoretical study rests 

 upon the admitted principle that, in all branches 

 of human activity, rational knowledge is better 

 than empirical knowledge. In order to be al- 

 ways sure that we are generalizing correctly, 

 we must make the generalizing process itself a 

 subject of generalization. 



But although Comte did not dignify logic 

 with the rank of an independent science, he 

 more than atoned for the omission by his con- 

 tributions to the study of logic. Since the era 

 of Bacon and Descartes, no book had appeared 

 containing such profound views of scientific 

 method as the " Philosophie Positive." It has 

 since been surpassed and superseded in many 

 respects by Mr. Mill's "System of Logic ; v ' 

 but Mr. Mill would be the first to admit that, 

 but for the work of Comte, his own work would 

 have been by no means what it is. 1 



Comte's most important innovation consisted 

 in comprehensively assigning to each class of 

 phenomena its appropriate method of investi- 

 gation, and in clearly marking out the limits 

 within which each method is applicable. It is 



1 This is perhaps too strongly stated. See Mill's Autobio- 

 graphy, pp. 207-213, 245. 



79 



