not to be argued thence that they are inapplicable to things. In modern times the deductive reasoning goes hand in hand with the inductive; but all deductive reasoning might be formed into syllogisms and do really consist of syllogisms-only some of the terms are suppressed. MOHENDRO LAUL SHOME, Hindu College, First Class. Answer to the Second Question-According to the ancient philosophers, such as Aristotle, idea is the sensible impression or as Locke terms it, the image of a thing in the mind. Later metaphysicians employ the term to signify a notion of a thing, or as some have expressed it more philosophically, a certain state of the mind. In this sense, then idea is any notion in the mind; it may be a false notion of a thing, or a true notion of it. But an idol (Greek Edwλa) is only a false notion of a thing, or as Bacon calls it in his "Advancement of Learning" false appearances of things, appearances which are the results not of true reflections from the nature of things. In this sense it has been used by Hallam but Stewart, Playfair and a host of other writers, understand by this term "false divinities of the human mind" to which men give allegiance in preference to truth. These philosophers take it in a figurative sense; but the derivation of the terms, as well as Bacon's use of it according to that derivation leave no doubt as to the term being employed to signify only "the false appearances of things.” RADHAGOBIND Doss, Hindu College, First Class. Answer to the Third Question.-The following are the sources from which the "Idols of the Tribe" originate: (1) the human mind is disposed to suppose more uniformity in nature than it can actually find; (2) its prepossession in favour of certain opinions and dogmas it has once adopted; (3) its narrowness in being pleased with those opinions which easily "fill the imagination" and "strike the mind;" (4) its restlessness in the discovery of causes and its unwillingness to stop anywhere but at what are called final and efficient causes of phenomena; (5) the bias of its affections and passions; (6) the incompetency of the external senses and the disposition of the human mind to form erroneous and fallacious conclusions from their evidence; (7) its disposition to "abstract” nature; i. e., to form a priori conclusions about her constitution without having recourse to experiment. DWARKA NAUTH MITTRE, Hooghly College, First Class. Answer to the Fourth Question.—The principal obstacles to the acquisition of knowledge and the progress of philosophy before the time of Bacon, were :— 1. The small space of time that has been favorable to the cultivation of philosophy. 2. The small share of attention which it received even during those periods when general learning flourished most. The human mind was too much occupied with Ethics in the first age, and with Theology in the second, to allow it to devote much time to this "mother of all the sciences." 3. Natural philosophy was considered in the light of a steppingstone to something else—an humble handmaid to the arts of medicine and mechanics. 4. Its ends were not properly defined. 5. Utility and progress, the great objects of Natural Philosophy, were regarded by the ancient schools as below the dignity of man. 6. The facts on which it was based, were grounded upon traditions and a vague ill-defined experience. 7. Reverence for antiquity and the authority of great names, hindered men from making any further progress in Science. 8. It had had, in all ages, a formidable antagonist to contend with in the shape of inordinate religious zeal. 9. The institutions of colleges and academies were, in Bacon's time, singularly unfavourable to its improvement. 10. The pride which men felt in the number of works which they already enjoyed. Thus a belief of abundance, produced poverty. Il. A general despair which prevailed among mankind about penetrating further into the secret recesses of nature. 12. No rewards were held out to those who attempted at innovations. To these causes ought to be added, the four different kinds of idols which beset all mankind, and the wrong method of induction then in use. MOHENE MOhun Roy, Hindu College, Second Class. Answer to the Fifth Question.--Consent, given after mature deliberation of the point in question is the only true consent. Consent can never be considered as a safe criterion of truth. The natural indolence of men, their respect for great genius, in short the whole tribe of the idola tribus—contributes to make men consent to errors. It is almost a self-evident truth that when men do not take the trouble of thinking, their consent can give no validity to any opinion. Dr. Arnold in his Lectures on Modern History says Quot homines, tot sententia holds good only where there is any thinking at all otherwise there might be a hundred millions of men-and only una sententia if the minds of 99,999,999 are wholly quiescent." So that it is evident that where there no thinking at all-the opinion of a whole continent might be no more in reality than the opinion of one man. This was actually the case in Europe during the Middle Ages. Aristotle reigned sole Emperor of the thoughts of men and exercised a dominion over their minds as extensive and far more durable than ever was obtained by his renowned pupil over their bodies. MOHENDRO LAUL SHOME. Hindu College, First Class. Answer to the Sixth Question.-Atalanta was a heroine of the mythological fables who excelled very much in swift_running and challenged all her suitors to a foot-race with her. The condition was that whoever outran her was to have her for his wife-but if she outran them, they were to become her slaves. Many a prince tried the match but none succeeded. Her speed was so great that she left them far behind. At length one of her suitors (Perseus, if I remember right) contrived to win her by the following stratagem. He carried with him to the race several golden balls-which he threw every now and then in a slanting direction out of the straight path. Atalanta charmed with their beauty ran to catch them and thus her lover outran her in the course and eventually married her. Bacon applies this fable to those who deserting the straightforward path of philosophy-run aside to gather the golden fruits, by untimely application of the few principles they had learnt-to practical purposes, and thus lose the victory over nature and fail in the discovery of general axioms. MCHENDR LAUL SHOME, Hindu College, First Class. Answer to the Seventh Question.-Experiments of light are such as are made—not with the view of being enabled to apply them to practical purposes but to discover truths for the furtherance of our philosophical investigations and tending to the discovery of axioms or laws of nature. Experiments of profit are such as are made with the view of being able to apply them immediately to some practical purpose. Thus the experiments made by Hooker with the pendulum though afterwards of great practical utility, were at the time only experiments of light. Thus the experiments made by Black for discovering the cause of dew were purely experiments of light. Again the experiments made by the Alchemists with the view of discovering the Philosopher's stone and the Elixer of life were experiments of profit though accidentally much light emanated from them. The experiments of Watt with the steam engine partake of both these characters. MOHENDRO LAUL SHOME, Hindu College, First Class. Answer to the Eighth Question.-The ant exerts all its power to gather a few grains of corn and stores them up (without any way attempting to improve the food thus stored) for winter provisions. The empiric in like manner makes a few experiments but without any attempt to generalize them and applies them to his purposes. The spider weaves out of itself a web of great skill and refinement. The Rationalist without taking his materials from nature-produces a well-spun theory of the nature of the universe. It is subtle and refined like the web of the spider but is easily dissipated by the slightest breath of reason. The bee gathers its materials from a variety of objects-flies from flower to flower-sucks the honey and prepares it for his hive. The true philosopher-in the same manner refers himself to a variety of objects, abstracts from them-the principle in which they all agree concocts it in his own mind and thus raises on axiom or law of nature which forms a part of his philosophy. MOHENDRO LAUL SHOME, Hindu College, First Class. Answer to the Ninth Question.-The five grounds from which Bacon derives the hope that knowledge must needs be progressive, are 1. From the benevolence of the Almighty Creator. 2. From the errors of past times and several methods that remain yet untried. 3. From a natuarl history compiled for its own sake and consisting of "experiments of light." 4. From the consideration that if so much has been discovered by chance much more must be discovered by a certain method of investigations carried by men of unbiassed minds. 5. From his own example and the great high-road he points out to his brethren. MOHENE MOHUN ROY, Hindu College, Second Class. Answer to the Tenth Question.-Abstraction-means the abstracting or selecting or calling out, from among all the properties of a thing and only as it professes in common with their objects and the employment of these only in our reasoning. Thus when we reason about a triangle-abstractedly we disregard the particular lengths of its sides and many other things and consider it only as a figure having three sides and three angles. Generalization is the collection of several things into a class and giving them a generic name. Thus when we refer metal to the class of minerals, we are said to generalize. MOHENDRO LAUL SHOME, Hindu College, First Class. BACON'S ESSAYS. Answer to the Eleventh Question.-Passive envy as opposed to active may mean envy which does not lead us to take any active hand-in doing evil to the person envied. It is simply the feeling of discontent arising from a sight of others' happiness. It may however have another meaning here viz., the envy of others towards them as opposed to their own envy towards others of which last he has been hitherto speaking. MOHENDRO LAUL SHOME, Hindu College, First Class. Answer to the Twelfth Question.-1. It spoils the feathers of round flying to the mark." It prevents straightforward conduct or going straight to the object of our desire. |