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[3]
ESSAYS TOWARDS
A THEORY OF KNOWLEDGE
[4]
| Rosalind: | I pray you, what is't o'clock? |
| Orlando: | You should ask me, what time o' day; there's no clock in the forest. |
| As You Like It, Act III. Sc. 2. | |
[5]
ESSAYS TOWARDS A
THEORY OF KNOWLEDGE
BY
ALEXANDER PHILIP
F.R.S.E
LONDON
GEORGE ROUTLEDGE & SONS LIMITED
New York: E. P. DUTTON & CO.
1915
[6]ἡ γὰρ ἀχρώματός τε καὶ ἀσχημάτιστος καὶ ἀναφὴς οὐσία
ὄντως οὖσα ψυχῆς κυβερνήτη μονῳ θεατῂ νῶ, ρεπὶ ἧν τὸ τῆς
ἀληθοῦς ἐπιστήμης γένος, τοῦτον ἔχει τὸν τόπον.—Phædrus.
[7]
PREFACE
Two years ago, in the preface to another essay, the present writerventured to affirm that "Civilisation moves rather towards a chaos thantowards a cosmos." But he could not foretell that the descensus Averniwould be so alarmingly rapid.
When we find Science, which has done so much and promised so much forthe happiness of mankind, devoting so large a proportion of itsresources to the destruction of human life, we are prone to askdespairingly—Is this the end? If not; how are we to discover and assurefor stricken Humanity the vision and the possession of a Better Land?
Not certainly by the ostentatious building of peace-palaces nor even bythe actual accomplishment of successful war. Only by the discovery oftrue first principles of Thought and Action can Humanity be redeemed.Undeterred by the confused tumult of to-day we must still seek a trueunderstanding of w