In  the  short  preface  to  this  work  he  contrasts
"  the  method  of  cultivating  the  sciences,"
"  the  anticipation  of  the  mind,"  with  "  the
method  of  discovering  the  sciences,"  "  the
interpretation  of  nature."  In  sum,  the  one  is
deduction,  the  Organum  of  Aristotle;  the
other  is  induction,  the  Novum  Organum  of
Bacon.  The  first  aphorism  of  Book  I  gives
the  animating  spirit  of  the  whole:    "  Man,  as


314


Francis  Bacon  (1561-1526).     (See  p.  313.)


Alexander  Bain  (1818-1903).     (.See  p.  .'ils.j


George  Berkeley  (1684-1753).     (See  p.  365.)  Frederick  Eduard  Beneke  (1798-1854).     (See  p.  362.)

A  Group  of  Philosophers,  Contributors  to  Education.
(With  the  permission  (if  the  Open  Court  Publishing  Co.)


BACON


BACON


the  minister  and  interpreter  of  nature,  does
and  understands  as  much  as  his  observations
on  the  order  of  nature,  either  with  regard  to
things  or  the  mind,  permit  him  and  neither
knows  nor  is  capable  of  more."  Yet,  Bacon
admitted  revelation  to  be  a  source  of  knowledge
and  a  basis  for  religion.  The  famous  "  idols  "
appear  in  this  piece.  The  third  part  of  the
Magna  Instauratio  is  represented  by  the  Sylva
Sylvarum,  together  with  some  minor  works.  This
part  attempts  to  present  the  data  of  the  universe
as  phenomena  for  induction,  to  provide  an  "  ex-
perimental history  of  nature."  It  shows  the
range  of  Bacon's  knowledge,  his  moderate  ca-
pacity in  handling  induction,  his  failure  to  appre-
ciate the  element  of  risk  that  enters  into  every  in-
ductive leap  of  the  understanding,  his  consequent
excessive  caution  in  generalizing,  and  his  undue
depreciation  of  deduction.  The  three  remaining
parts  of  the  Magna  Instauratio  were  unfortu-
nately never  completed.
