39 



CHAPTER II. 

 THE GREEK SCHOOL PHILOSOPHY. 



Sect. 1. The general Foundation of the Greek 

 School Philosophy. 



THE physical philosophy of the Greek Schools 

 was formed by looking at the material world 

 through the medium of that common language which 

 men employ to answer the common occasions of life; 

 and by adopting, arbitrarily, as the grounds of com- 

 parison of facts, and of inference from them, notions 

 more abstract and large than those with which 

 men are practically familiar, but not less vague and 

 obscure. Such a philosophy, however much it might 

 be systematized, by classifying and analyzing the 

 conceptions which it involves, could not overcome 

 the vices of its fundamental principle. But before 

 speaking of these defects, we must give some indi- 

 cations of its character. 



The propensity to seek for principles in the com- 

 mon usages of language may be discerned at a very 

 early period. Thus we have an example of it in a 

 saying which is reported of Thales, the founder of 

 Greek philosophy 1 . When he was asked "What is 

 the greatest thing?" he replied, " Place; for all other 



1 Pint. Conv. Sept. Sap. Diog. Laert. i. 35. 



