ITS TECHNICAL FORMS. 57 



Sect. 3. Technical Forms of the Greek Schools. 



WE have hitherto considered only the principle of 

 the Greek Physics ; which was, as we have seen, to 

 deduce its doctrines by an analysis of the notions 

 which common language involves. But though the 

 Grecian philosopher began by studying words in 

 their common meanings, he soon found himself led 

 to fix upon some special shades or applications of 

 these meanings as the permanent and standard 

 notion, which they were to express; that is, he made 

 his language technical. The invention and esta- 

 blishment of technical terms is an important step 

 in any philosophy, true or false ; we must, there- 

 fore, say a few words on this process, as exemplified 

 in the ancient systems. 



1. Technical Forms of the Aristotelian Philo- 

 sophy. We have already had occasion to cite some 

 of the distinctions introduced by Aristotle, which 

 may be considered as technical; for instance, the 

 classification of Causes as material, formal, efficient, 

 and final; and the opposition of Qualities as absolute 

 and relative. A few more of the most important 

 examples may suffice. An analysis of objects into 

 Matter and Form, when metaphorically extended 

 from visible objects to things conceived in the most 

 general manner, became an habitual hypothesis of 

 the Aristotelian school. Indeed this metaphor is 

 even yet one of the most significant of those which 

 we can employ, to suggest one of the most compre- 



