1877J 
On Scientific Method . 
4 §3 
competing many times he must choose ; and while he is thus 
humble he must not hesitate to frame hypotheses, — he must 
risk something in his search for truth, knowing that in 
rigorous experiment he has a means of trying his queries 
whether they be true or not. “ The philosopher,” says 
Faraday, “ should be a man willing to listen to every sug- 
gestion, but determined to judge for himself. He should not 
be biassed by appearances ; have no favourite hypothesis ; 
be of no school ; and in dodtrine have no master. He 
should not be a respedter of persons, but of things. Truth 
should be his primary objedt. If to these qualities be added 
industry, he may indeed hope to walk within the veil of the 
temple of Nature.” 
I have said that we still need men of genius who can see 
through the tangled web of fadts and catch a glimpse of the 
governing power behind. But it may be asked, Is not this a 
different method from that of stridtly indudtive reasoning 
recommended by the great father of true logic, Bacon him- 
self? Yes, it is somewhat different; yet I think that a due 
attention to historical fadts will show us that without de- 
dudtive reasoning no true generalisations have ever been 
reached in Science. 
By an examination of fadts alone we gain empirical know- 
ledge ; scientific unity can only be gained by embracing 
these fadts within one general principle. A mere colledtion 
of empirical fadts does not constitute scientific knowledge ; 
we must explain these fadts, — that is, we must take out the 
folds, “ Ex plicis plana redere ,” we must show the resem- 
blances, more or less deep, between the fadts ; so long as a 
fadt remains alone, unattached and seemingly unattachable 
to any other, we feel a certain uneasiness, unsatisfiedness, in 
regarding this fadt ; and such an uneasiness may have — in 
certain ages has — developed into a superstitious dread of the 
unexplained fadt. In other ages than the present the sweep 
of the comet across the sky was regarded as an omen of 
evil, — it was an awful unexplained fadt, — but now that we 
know that the laws governing the movements of the comets 
are the same as those which rule the calm and peaceful 
stars, we no longer experience any dread at the approach of 
these, once fearful, visitors. But the man of Science is often 
taunted with his lack of awe and reverence of the mysteries 
of Nature : the accusation is, I believe, only made — if made 
in earnest — by those who cannot take the trouble of investi- 
gating Nature for themselves; by those who think it a 
grander thing to speak of mystery, and greatness, and re- 
verence, than to exhibit those qualities in themselves which 
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