seizable, the Immovable, the
Eternal.

This was too much for them, and they renounced it. And wishing for
something less harsh, they bought the course of philosophy, by M.
Guesnier, for the use of classes.

The author asks himself what would be the proper method, the ontological
or the psychological.

The first suited the infancy of societies, when man directed his
attention towards the external world. But at present, when he turns it
in upon himself, "we believe the second to be more scientific."

The object of psychology is to study the acts which take place in our
own breasts. We discover them by observation.

"Let us observe." And for a fortnight, after breakfast, they regularly
searched their consciousness at random, hoping to make great discoveries
there--and made none, which considerably astonished them.

"'One phenomenon occupies the ego, viz., the idea. What is its nature?
It has been supposed that the objects are put into the brain, and that
the brain transmits these images to our souls, which gives us the
knowledge of them.'"

But if the idea is spiritual, how are we to represent matter? Thence
comes scepticism as to external perceptions. If it is material,
spiritual objects could not be represented. Thence scepticism as to the
reality of internal notions.

"For another reason let us here be careful. This hypothesis will lead us
to atheism."

For an image, being a finite thing, cannot possibly represent the
Infinite.

"Yet," argued Bouvard, "when I think of a forest, of a person, of a dog,
I see this forest, this person, this dog. Therefore the ideas do
represent them."

And they proceeded to deal with the origin of ideas.

According to Locke, there are two originating causes--sensation and
reflection; and Condillac reduces everything to sensation.

But then reflection will lack a basis. It has need of a subject, of a
sentient being; and it is powerless to furnish us with the great
fundamental truths: God, merit and demerit, the Just, the
Beautiful--ideas which are all _innate_, that is to say, anterior to
facts, and to experience, and universal.

"If they were universal we should have them from our birth."

"By this word is meant dispositions to have them; and Descartes----"

"Your Descartes is muddled, for he maintains that the foetus possesses
them, and he confesses in another place that this is in an implied
fashion."

Pecuchet was astonished. "Where is this found?"

"In Gerando."