Outlines of moral philosophy / by Dugald Stewart.

  • Stewart, Dugald, 1753-1828.
Date:
1845
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Outlines of moral philosophy / by Dugald Stewart. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    the same combinations of circumstances the same results will take place. The laws which regulate the course of human affairs, are inves- tigated with much greater difficulty: But, even in this class of events, such a degree of order may frequently be traced, as furnishes general rules of great practical utility; and this order becomes the more apparent, in proportion as we generalize our observations. 3. Our knowledge of the laws of nature is en- tirely the result of observation and experiment; for there is no instance in which we perceive such a necessary connection between two suc- cessive events, as might enable us to infer the one from the other by reasoning a priori. We find, from experience, that certain events are invariably conjoined, so that when we see the one, we expect the other; but our knowledge in such cases extends no farther than to the fact. 4. To ascertain those established conjunctions of successive events, which constitute the order of the universe;—to record the phenomena whieh it exhibits to our observation, and to re- fer them to their general laws, is the great business of philosophy.—Lord Bacon was the first. person who was fully aware of the import- ance of this fundamental truth.—The ancients considered philosophy as the science of causes ; and hence were led to many speculations, to