a discourse on method-第3节

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


tor。　　It　is　thus　quite　certain　that　the　constitution　of　the　true　religion；　the　ordinances　of　which　are　derived　from　God；　must　be　incomparably　superior　to　that　of　every　other。　　And；　to　speak　of　human　affairs；　I　believe　that　the　pre…eminence　of　Sparta　was　due　not　to　the　goodness　of　each　of　its　laws　in　particular；　for　many　of　these　were　very　strange；　and　even　opposed　to　good　morals；　but　to　the　circumstance　that；　originated　by　a　single　individual；　they　all　tended　to　a　single　end。　　In　the　same　way　I　thought　that　the　sciences　contained　in　books　（such　of　them　at　least　as　are　made　up　of　probable　reasonings；　without　demonstrations）；　composed　as　they　are　of　the　opinions　of　many　different　individuals　massed　together；　are　farther　removed　from　truth　than　the　simple　inferences　which　a　man　of　good　sense　using　his　natural　and　unprejudiced　judgment　draws　respecting　the　matters　of　his　experience。　　And　because　we　have　all　to　pass　through　a　state　of　infancy　to　manhood；　and　have　been　of　necessity；　for　a　length　of　time；　governed　by　our　desires　and　preceptors　（whose　dictates　were　frequently　conflicting；　while　neither　perhaps　always　counseled　us　for　the　best）；　I　farther　concluded　that　it　is　almost　impossible　that　our　judgments　can　be　so　correct　or　solid　as　they　would　have　been；　had　our　reason　been　mature　from　the　moment　of　our　birth；　and　had　we　always　been　guided　by　it　alone。

It　is　true；　however；　that　it　is　not　customary　to　pull　down　all　the　houses　of　a　town　with　the　single　design　of　rebuilding　them　differently；　and　thereby　rendering　the　streets　more　handsome；　but　it　often　happens　that　a　private　individual　takes　down　his　own　with　the　view　of　erecting　it　anew；　and　that　people　are　even　sometimes　constrained　to　this　when　their　houses　are　in　danger　of　falling　from　age；　or　when　the　foundations　are　insecure。　With　this　before　me　by　way　of　example；　I　was　persuaded　that　it　would　indeed　be　preposterous　for　a　private　individual　to　think　of　reforming　a　state　by　fundamentally　changing　it　throughout；　and　overturning　it　in　order　to　set　it　up　amended；　and　the　same　I　thought　was　true　of　any　similar　project　for　reforming　the　body　of　the　sciences；　or　the　order　of　teaching　them　established　in　the　schools：　　but　as　for　the　opinions　which　up　to　that　time　I　had　embraced；　I　thought　that　I　could　not　do　better　than　resolve　at　once　to　sweep　them　wholly　away；　that　I　might　afterwards　be　in　a　position　to　admit　either　others　more　correct；　or　even　perhaps　the　same　when　they　had　undergone　the　scrutiny　of　reason。　　I　firmly　believed　that　in　this　way　I

should　much　better　succeed　in　the　conduct　of　my　life；　than　if　I　built　only　upon　old　foundations；　and　leaned　upon　principles　which；　in　my　youth；　I　had　taken　upon　trust。　　For　although　I　recognized　various　difficulties　in　this　undertaking；　these　were　not；　however；　without　remedy；　nor　once　to　be　compared　with　such　as　attend　the　slightest　reformation　in　public　affairs。　Large　bodies；　if　once　overthrown；　are　with　great　difficulty　set　up　again；　or　even　kept　erect　when　once　seriously　shaken；　and　the　fall　of　such　is　always　disastrous。　　Then　if　there　are　any　imperfections　in　the　constitutions　of　states　（and　that　many　such　exist　the　diversity　of　constitutions　is　alone　sufficient　to　assure　us）；　custom　has　without　doubt　materially　smoothed　their　inconveniences；　and　has　even　managed　to　steer　altogether　clear　of；　or　insensibly　corrected　a　number　which　sagacity　could　not　have　provided　against　with　equal　effect；　and；　in　fine；　the　defects　are　almost　always　more　tolerable　than　the　change　necessary　for　their　removal；　in　the　same　manner　that　highways　which　wind　among　mountains；　by　being　much　frequented；　become　gradually　so　smooth　and　commodious；　that　it　is　much　better　to　follow　them　than　to　seek　a　straighter　path　by　climbing　over　the　tops　of　rocks　and　descending　to　the　bottoms　of　precipices。

Hence　it　is　that　I　cannot　in　any　degree　approve　of　those　restless　and　busy　meddlers　who；　called　neither　by　birth　nor　fortune　to　take　part　in　the　management　of　public　affairs；　are　yet　always　projecting　reforms；　and　if　I　thought　that　this　tract　contained　aught　which　might　justify　the　suspicion　that　I　was　a　victim　of　such　folly；　I　would　by　no　means　permit　its　publication。　　I　have　never　contemplated　anything　higher　than　the　reformation　of　my　own　opinions；　and　basing　them　on　a　foundation　wholly　my　own。　　And　although　my　own　satisfaction　with　my　work　has　led　me　to　present　here　a　draft　of　it；　I　do　not　by　any　means　therefore　recommend　to　every　one　else　to　make　a　similar　attempt。　　Those　whom　God　has　endowed　with　a　larger　measure　of　genius　will　entertain；　perhaps；　designs　still　more　exalted；　but　for　the　many　I　am　much　afraid　lest　even　the　present　undertaking　be　more　than　they　can　safely　venture　to　imitate。　　The　single　design　to　strip　one's　self　of　all　past　beliefs　is　one　that　ought　not　to　be　taken　by　every　one。　The　majority　of　men　is　composed　of　two　classes；　for　neither　of　which　would　this　be　at　all　a　befitting　resolution：　　in　the　first　place；　of　those　who　with　more　than　a　due　confidence　in　their　own　powers；　are　precipitate　in　their　judgments　and　want　the　patience　requisite　for　orderly　and　circumspect　thinking；　whence　it　happens；　that　if　men　of　this　class　once　take　the　liberty　to　doubt　of　their　accustomed　opinions；　and　quit　the　beaten　highway；　they　will　never　be　able　to　thread　the　byway　that　would　lead　them　by　a　shorter　course；　and　will　lose　themselves　and　continue　to　wander　for　life；　in　the　second　place；　of　those　who；　possessed　of　sufficient　sense　or　modesty　to　determine　that　there　are　others　who　excel　them　in　the　power　of　discriminating　between　truth　and　error；　and　by　whom　they　may　be　instructed；　ought　rather　to　content　themselves　with　the　opinions　of　such　than　trust　for　more　correct　to　their　own　reason。

For　my　own　part；　I　should　doubtless　have　belonged　to　the　latter　class；　had　I　received　instruction　from　but　one　master；　or　had　I　never　known　the　diversities　of　opinion　that　from　time　immemorial　have　prevailed　among　men　of　the　greatest　learning。　　But　I　had　become　aware；　even　so　early　as　during　my　college　life；　that　no　opinion；　however　absurd　and　incredible；　can　be　imagined；　which　has　not　been　maintained　by　some　on　of　the　philosophers；　and　afterwards　in　the　course　of　my　travels　I　remarked　that　all　those　whose　opinions　are　decidedly　repugnant　to　ours　are　not　in　that　account　barbarians　and　savages；　but　on　the　contrary　that　many　of　these　nations　make　an　equally　good；　if　not　better；　use　of　their　reason　than　we　do。　　I　took　into　account　also　the　very　different　character　which　a　person　brought　up　from　infancy　in　France　or　Germany　exhibits；　from　that　which；　with　the　same　mind　originally；　this　individual　would　have　possessed　had　he　lived　always　among　the　Chinese　or　with　savages；　and　the　circumstance　that　in　dress　itself　the　fashion　which　pleased　us　ten　years　ago；　and　which　may　again；　perhaps；　be　received　into　favor　before　ten　years　have　gone；　appears　to　us　at　this　moment　extravagant　and　ridiculous。　　I　was　thus　led　to　infer　that　the　ground　of　our　opinions　is　far　more　custom　and　example　than　any　certain　knowledge。　　And；　finally；　although　such　be　the　ground　of　our　opinions；　I　remarked　that　a　plurality　of　suffrages　is　no　guarantee　of　truth　where　it　is　at　all　of　difficult　discovery；　as　in　such　cases　it　is　much　more　likely　that　it　will　be　found　by　one　than　by　many。　　I　could；　however；　select　from　the　crowd　no　one　whose　opinions　seemed　worthy　of　preference；　and　thus　I　found　myself　constrained；　as　it　were；　to　use　my　own　reason　in　the　conduct　of　my　life。

But　like　one　walking　alone　and　in　the　dark；　I　resolved　to　proceed　so　slowly　and　with　such　circumspection；　that　if　I　did　not　advance　far；　I　would　at　least　guard　against　falling。　　I　did　not　even　choose　to　dismiss　summarily　any　of　the　opinions　that　had　crept　into　my　belief　without　having　been　introduced　by　reason；　but　first　of　all　took　sufficient　time　carefully　to　satisfy　myself　of　the　general　nature　of　the　task　I　was　setting　myself；　and　ascertain　the　true　method　by　which　to　arrive　at　the　knowledge　of　whatever　lay　within　the　compass　of　my　powers。

Among　the　branches　of　philosophy；　I　had；　at　an　earlier　period；　given　some　attention　to　logic；　and　among　those　of　the　mathematics　to　geometrical　analysis　and　algebra；　　three　arts　or　sciences　which　ought；　as　I　conceived；　to　contribute　something　to　my　design。　　But；　on　examination；　I　found　that；　as　for　logic；　its　syllogisms　and　the　majority　of　its　other　precepts　are　of　avail…　rather　in　the　communication　of　what　we　already　know；　or　even　as　the　art　of　Lully；　in　speaking　without　judgment　of　things　of　which　we　are　ignorant；　than　in　the　investigation　of　the　unknown；　and　although　this　science　contains　indeed　a　number　of　correct　and　very　excellent　precepts；　there　are；　nevertheless；　so　many　others；　and　these　either　injurious　or　superfluous；　mingled　with　the　former；　that　it　is　almost　quite　as　difficult　to　effect　a　severance　of　the　true　from　the　false　as　it　is　to　extract　a　Diana　or　a　Minerva　from　a　rough　block　of　marble。　Then　as　to　the　analysis　of　the　ancients　and　the　algebra　of　the　moderns；　besides　that　they　embrace　only　matters　highly　abstract；　and；　to　appearance；　of　no　use；　the　former　is　so　exclusively　restricted　to　the　consideration　of　figures；　that　it　can　exercise　the　understanding　only　on　condition　of　greatly　fatigu