FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101  
102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   >>   >|  
he present instance, or when held so as to exclude the opposite half-truth. It is this fact, that basic truth is everywhere made up of a _union of opposites_, each of which seems, at first sight, to exclude the other, which the Historian himself so forcibly expresses when he exclaims: 'In the moral world, as in the physical world, nothing is anomalous; nothing is unnatural; nothing is strange. All is order, symmetry, and law. _There are opposites, but there are no contradictions.'_ Had he understood the full meaning of this statement of the _inherently paradoxical nature of truth_, and been able to give the Principle which it establishes a universal application in unfolding the various domains of human intelligence and activity, he would have grasped the Knowledge for which he vainly strove, would have discovered the veritable Science of the Sciences, the long-sought Criterion of Truth. In the absence of a right understanding of this complex fact, that fundamental truth has always two sides affirming directly opposite half-truths, he fell into the error of mistaking the moiety for the whole, and has left us a world in which, with all the aid that he has afforded us, we still fail to discern the 'order, symmetry, and law' which undoubtedly pervade all its parts--a world in which there is still exhibited, so far at least as governmental, religious, and social affairs are concerned, an 'anomalous, strange, and unnatural' aspect. Such consideration as it is feasible to give the first of these historical propositions in these columns, was, for the most part, included in that portion of the examination of the positions of our two authors, which was contained in the opening paper of the series; though no special application of Principles there elaborated was made to this formula. It was there pointed out, that intellectual forces constitute only _one_ of the factors in the sum of human progress, and that _moral_ forces are equally as important, being the second--the opposite and complementary factor. In the light of that exposition, and of the brief consideration here given to the second Generalization, it is perceptible that the defect in this proposition consists, not in what it affirms, but in what it does _not_ affirm. 'That the progress of mankind depends on the success with which the laws of phenomena are investigated, and on the extent to which a knowledge of those laws is diffused,' is a statement which is undeniabl
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101  
102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

opposite

 

strange

 

symmetry

 
consideration
 
forces
 

progress

 

application

 

unnatural

 
statement
 

exclude


opposites
 

anomalous

 

series

 

included

 

portion

 

opening

 

authors

 

positions

 
contained
 

examination


columns

 

concerned

 

undeniabl

 

affairs

 

social

 

governmental

 

religious

 

aspect

 

historical

 

propositions


special

 

feasible

 
knowledge
 

diffused

 

intellectual

 

Generalization

 

perceptible

 
exposition
 
defect
 

depends


affirms

 
consists
 

proposition

 

affirm

 
mankind
 
factor
 

complementary

 

extent

 

investigated

 

constitute