A B S 



from tlK- common appnlKiifions, and more intelligible ways 

 of conceiving ; in oppofilion to what is obvious and 

 palpable. 



In this fenfe Mflathyfici is an abflrufe fcicnce ; and many 

 {■peculations of Malhemnlici are likewife aljlrufe. 



ABSURD, Absi'rdum, a term appVd to any aftion 

 or tentiment that thwarts, or goes contrarj' to fome evident 



truth. , , n- 



Thus, a propofitlnn would be abfurd, that fliouM affirm 

 that two and two make five ; or that (houid deny them to 

 make four. 



Tlie Lo^'ic'mns and Malhtmot'icians have a way of provuig 

 the truth of a proimlltion in this indireft manner, by flic wing 

 tliat tlie contraiy is abfurd. 



This they cill 



Re./iiffio ml tihSVKDVM, or arguing ex abfurdo. 



/Ibfunl, when applied to aftions, is fynonymous witli ri- 

 diculous. 



ABSURDITY, a kind of ciror or offence againft fome 

 evident or generally allowed tnith or principle. 



The (rreatell of all abfurdities is CojiTRAdictios. 



The Fchoolmen make two fpecies of abfurdities — The one 

 abfoluU, as-Mi,-, which is repugnant to the common fenfe of 

 mankind ; the otiier relative, tm, which contradiAs fome 

 one, or more philofophers, or perfons of great weight and 



authority. 



In this fenfe the doftrine of a •vacuum is an abfurdity ; 

 as being contrai-y to Arillotle : and that of a plenum, as 

 being contrary to Sir Ifaac Newton. In effeft, there is 

 fcarce one truth of any moment, that is not an abfurdity 

 in this fenfe ; as being repugnant to the fyltem of fome feet, 

 or party. 



As reafon confifts in the due ufe of names and words, 

 abfurdity confifts in the abufe of them. Hobbes affigns ab- 

 furdity as a privilege peculiar to man, and which no other 

 creature is capable of: he adds, that of all men, thoie 

 called philofophers are moft expofc;d to it. Whence the 

 faying of Cicero, there is noth'ng fo abfurd but has been 

 faid by a philofopher, nihil tarn abfurde did polejl, quod non 

 dicatur a philofopho. The reafon feems to be, that of all 

 men they reafon, and difcourfe moft. Yet a nearer and 

 more appofite caufe may be affigned, viz. their negleft 

 at fetting out, to define the terms they make ufe of, 

 i. e. to aflign the precife idea each is made to reprefent : 

 which is much hke a man's undertaking to number, without 

 knowing the value of the numeral figures ; reafoning, ac- 

 cording to the author firft cited, being no other than com- 

 puting. Divers abfurdities alfo arofe from the wrong con- 

 nefting of names into propofitions ; as firft, when the names 

 of bodies are applied to accidents ; or the names of accidents 

 to bodies : as in that propofition, " faith is infufed or in- 

 " fpired :" fmce nothing is either fufible, or infpirable, but 

 body : and the fame abfurdity the Cartefians fall into, when 

 they make extenfion to conftitute body, &;c. Secondly, 

 when the names of accidents inherent in external bodies are 

 attributed to accidents of our own bodies : as when it is 

 faid, that colour is in the objeft, found in the air, &c. 

 Thirdly, when the names of bodies are attributed to words, 

 or conceptions : as is done by thofe who affert that there 

 are univerfal things, that animal is a genus, &:c. Fourthly, 

 when the names of accidents are given to words, and propo- 

 fitions ; as when it is faid, that the definition is the nature 

 of the thing, or a peifon's command is his will. Fifthly, 

 when in lieu of proper words, metaphors and tropes are 

 made ufe of : as, the way leads to fuch a place, the pro- 

 verb fays this or that ; which though allowable on ordinary 

 occafions, yet is of mifchicvous confequence in reafoniiig and 



ABU 



fearching after tituh. Laftly, when names are taken at 

 random, and ufed without meaning, as tjanlubftantiation, 

 confubftantiation, etitelechia, &c. 



He that can avoid thefe rocks will not cafily fall into an 

 abfurdity, except in a very long chain of reafoning, when he 

 may be apt to forget fome propofition before laid down. 

 Hobb. Lev. P. i. c. 5. p. 22. 



ABSUS, the Egyptian lotus of Ray. See Cassia. 



ABSYNTHIUM. See Absinthium. 



ABSYRTIDES, or Apsyrtides, in Ancient Geography, 

 iflands in the Adriatic, on the coaft of Illyrlcum, mentioned 

 bv Sti-abo, Pliny, Mela, and Ptolemy, to wliich pertain 

 Apfyrth or Ahfyrtium, and Abforus or Ap/orus ; fo called ac- 

 cording to Strabo (tom. i. p. 484.), and Pliny, (torn. i. 

 p. 181.) from Abfyrtus, Medea's brother, who was flain 

 there. They are feparated by a channel, and are now called 

 Cherfo and Ofero. 



ABSYRTUS, in Mylhology, the fon of CEta and Hyp- 

 fea, and brother of ^ledca. When Medea ran away 

 with Jafon, whom flie afiifted in carrying off the golden 

 fleece, flie was purfued by her father ; but in order to retard 

 his progrefs, flie tore Abfyrtus in pieces, and ilrewed his 

 limbs in the way. 



ABTHANES, in H'ifiory, a title of honour anciently 

 ufed in Scotland, denoting the high order of thanes, or 

 king's minifters, in contradiftinftion to the lower, called 

 underthanes . 



ABUBEKER, or Abu Becr, »". e. the father of the 

 girl or virgin, vi%. Ayeilia, who was of this defcription 

 when Mahomet married her, the firft caliph, and fuccelTor 

 of Mahomet. His original name was Abdulcaaba, the fer- 

 vant of the Caaba, denoting his piety ; which name was 

 changed by Mahomet on his convedion, into Abdallah, the 

 fervant of God ; and on the prophet's marriage with his 

 daughter, he afliimed the appellation of Abulekcr. He was 

 eminently ufeful to this impollor at the commencement of 

 his undertaking, as he vouched for his veracity in ever}- thing 

 he related concerning his revelations, and his nofturnal jour- 

 ney to heaven ; and veiy much exerted hinifelf in augment- 

 ing the number of his followers. On this account the pro- 

 phet gave him the furname of Al Seddik, which denotes 

 the faithful witnefs, and the appellation Atik, or preferved, 

 i. e. faved from hell-fire, thus intimating that he was one of 

 the eleft. At the time of Mahomet's death, two powerful 

 parties, called the Mohajerin and the Anfars, claimed the 

 right of nominating his fuccelTor. The former founded their 

 pretenfions on their having attended the prophet in his flight 

 to Medina, and declared themfelves in his favour before any 

 of the other Arabs joined him ; whilit the latter pleaded, 

 that they fupported him when he was expelled his native 

 city, and enabled him to funnount oppofilion, when he and 

 his followers were in a ftate of perfecution. At length, 

 however, by the interpofition of Omar, they concurred in 

 the eleftion of Abu Becr, A. D. 632. As many of the 

 Arabs had renounced their new religion, and returned to 

 paganifm, judaifm, or chriftianity, towards the clofe of Ma- 

 homet's life, and after his death, they were unwilling to pay 

 the cuftomaiy tribute which he exadled of his followers, and 

 made attempts for throwing off the yoke which he had im- 

 pofed upon them. Abu Beer's firft attention was engaged 

 in reducing thefe rebels, whom he defeated, and whofe 

 children he made flaves. This fervice was conducted by 

 Khaled, or Caled, an excellent general ; who afterwards by 

 his conduct and bravery conquered Syria, and greatly con- 

 tributed to the eftablilhment of the Mahometan religion and 

 policy. On the day, however, of the reduftion of Damaf- 

 cus, Abu Becr died, in the 1 3th year of the Hegira, hav- 



ing 



