第 36 节
作者:
京文 更新:2021-02-19 21:41 字数:9301
different ways。 The negative and external side of utility is turned round; and the lack of this
adaptation to end is likewise drawn within the same embrace。 It may; for example; be said that if
sun or moon were to shine at all times; the police might save much money; and this would provide
men with food and drink for whole months together。 It was right that Bacon should set himself to
oppose this investigation into final causes; because it relates to external expediency; just as Kant
was right in distinguishing the inward teleology from the outward。 As against the external end; there
is; in fact; the inward end; i。e。 the inward Notion of the thing itself; as we found it earlier in
Aristotle (Vol。 II。 pp。 166…163)。 Because the organism possesses an inward adaptation to its
ends; its members are indeed likewise externally adapted as regards one another; but the ends; as
external ends; are heterogeneous to the individual; are unconnected with the object which is
investigated。 Speaking generally; the Notion of nature is not in nature itself; which would mean that
the end was in nature itself; but as teleological; the Notion is something foreign to it。 It does not
have the end in itself in such a way that we have to accord respect to it — as the individual man
has his end in himself and hence has to be respected。 But even the individual man as individual has
only a right to respect from the individual as such; and not from the universal。 He who acts in the
name of the universal; of the state; as a general does for instance; does not require to respect the
individual at all; for the latter; although an end in himself; does not cease to be relative。 He is this
end in himself; not as excluding himself and setting himself in opposition; but only in so far as his
true reality is the universal Notion。 The end of the animal in itself as an individual is its own
self…preservation; but its true end in itself is the species。 Its self…preservation is not involved in this;
for the self…preservation of its individuality is disadvantageous to the species; while the abrogation
of itself is favourable thereto。
Now Bacon separates the universal principle and the efficient cause; and for that reason he
removes investigation into ends from physics to metaphysics。 Or he recognizes the Notion; not as
universal in nature; but only as necessity; i。e。 as a universal which presents itself in the opposition
of its moments; not one which has bound them into a unity — in other words he only
acknowledges a comprehension of one determinate from another determinate going on into infinity;
and not of both from their Notion。 Bacon has thus made investigation into the efficient cause more
general; and he asserts that this investigation alone belongs to physics; although be allows that both
kinds of investigation may exist side by side。 (17) Through that view he effected a great deal; and
in so far as it has counteracted the senseless superstition which in the Germanic nations far
exceeded in its horrors and absurdity that of the ancient world; it has the very merit which we met
with in the Epicurean philosophy。 That philosophy opposed itself to the superstitious Stoics and to
superstition generally — which last makes any existence that we set before ourselves into a cause
(a Beyond which is made to exist in a sensuous way and to operate as a cause); or makes two
sensuous things which have no relation operate on one another。 This polemic of Bacon’s against
spectres; astrology; magic; &c。; (18) can certainly not be regarded exactly as Philosophy like his
other reflections; but it is at least of service to culture。
He also advises that attention should be directed to formal causes; the forms of things; and that
they should be recognized。 (19) “But to give an exact definition of the meaning which Bacon
attaches to the phrase formal causes is rather difficult; because his language upon this subject is
uncertain in a very remarkable degree。” (20) “It may be thought that he understood by this the
immanent determinations of things; the laws of nature; as a matter of fact the forms are none else
than universal determinations; species; &c。” (21) He says: “The discovery of the formal is
despaired of。 The efficient and the material (as they are investigated and received; that is as remote
causes; without reference to the latent process leading to the forms) are but slight and superficial;
and contribute little; if anything; to true and active science。 For though in nature nothing really
exists beside individual bodies; performing pure individual acts according to a fixed law; yet in
philosophy this very law; and the investigation; discovery and explanation of it; is the foundation as
well of knowledge as of operation。 And it is this law; with its clauses; that I mean when I speak of
Forms 。 。 。 Let the investigation of Forms which are eternal and immutable constitute metaphysics。
Whosoever is acquainted with Forms embraces the unity of nature in substances the most unlike。”
(22) He goes through this in detail; and quotes many examples to illustrate it; such as that of Heat。
“Mind must raise itself from differences to species。 The warmth of the sun and that of the fire are
diverse。 We see that grapes ripen by the warmth of the sun。 But to see whether the warmth of the
sun is specific; we also observe other warmth; and we find that grapes likewise ripen in a warm
room; this proves that the warmth of the sun is not specific。” (23)
“Physic;” he says; “directs us through narrow rugged paths in imitation of the crooked ways of
nature。 But he that understands a form knows the ultimate possibility of superinducing that nature
upon all kinds of matter; that is to say; as he himself interprets this last expression; is able to
superinduce the nature of gold upon silver;” that is to say to make gold from silver; “and to
perform all those other marvels to which the alchymists pretended。 The error of these last
consisted alone in hoping to arrive at these ends by fabulous and fantastical methods;” the true
method is to recognize these forms。 “One leading object of the Instauratio Magna and of the
Novum Organon is to point out the necessity of ascertaining the formal causes and logical rules。”
(24) They are good rules; but not adapted to attain that end。
This is all that we have to say of Bacon。 In dealing with Locke we shall have more to say of these
empirical methods which were adopted by the English。
1。 Buhle: Gesch。 D。 neuern Philos。 Vol。 II。 Section II。 pp。 950…954; Brucker。 Hist。 Crit。 Phil。 T。
IV。 P。 II。 pp。 91…95。
2。 The Quarterly Review; Vol。 XVII。; April; 1817; p。 53。
3。 Bacon。 De augmentis scientiarum; II。 c。 1 (Lugd。 Batavor; 1652。 12); pp。 108…110 (Operum
omnium; pp。 43; 44; Lipsi?; 1694)。
4。 Ibidem; c。 2; p。 111 (Operum; p。 44); c。 4; pp。 123; 124 (p。 49); c。 11; pp。 145…147 (pp。 57;
58)。
5。 Bacon。 De augmentis scientiarum; IV。 c。 2; pp。 294; 295 (p。 213) (Ellis and Spedding's
translation; Vol。 IV。 p。 394)。
6。 Bacon。 Novum Organon; L。 I。 Aphor。 11…34; pp。 280…282 (Operum)。
7。 Bacon。 De augm。 scient。 V。 c。 4; p。 358 (p。 137)。 (Ellis and Spedding's translation。 Vol。 IV。 p。
428。
8。 Bacon。 De augmentis scientiarum; V。 c。 2; pp。 320; 321 (pp。 122; 123)。
9。 Bacon。 Novum Organon; L。 I。 Aphor。 105; p。 313; De augmentis scientiarum; V。 c。 2; pp。
326; 327 (pp。 124; 125)。
10。 The Quarterly Review; Vol。 XVII。; April; 1817; pp。 50; 51: cf。 Bacon silva silvarum sive
historia naturalis; Cent。 IV。; Sect。 326; 327 (Operum; pp。 822; 823)。
11。 Bacon。 De augmentis scientiarum; III。 c。 5; pp。 245; 246 (p。 95)。
12。 Ibid。 IV。 c。 2; p。 293 (p。 112)。
13。 The Quarterly Review; Vol。 XVII。; April; 1817; pp。 51; 52; cf。 Bacon。 De augmentis
scientiarum; III。 c。 3; 4; pp。 200…206 (pp。 78…80)。
14。 Bacon。 Novum Organon; L。 II。 Aphor。 2。 (Ellis and Spedding's translation; Vol。 IV。 p。 119。)
15。 Bacon。 Novum Organon; L。 II。 Aphor。 2; cf。 the Quarterly Review; Vol。 XVII。 April; 1817;
p。 52。
16。 Bacon。 De augmentis scientiarum; III; c。 4; p。 237 (p。 92)。
17。 Bacon。 De augm。 scient。 III。 c。 4; p。 239 (p。 92)。
18。 Bacon。 De augmentis scientiarum; I。 p。 46 (p。 19); III。 c。 4; pp。 211…213 (pp。 82; 83);
Novum Organon; L。 I。 Aphor。 85; p。 304。
19。 Bacon。 De augmentis scientiarum; III; c。 4; pp。 231…234 (pp。 89; 90)。
20。 The Quarterly Review; Vol。 XVII。 April; 1817; p。 52。
21。 Bacon。 Novum Organon; L。 II。 Aphor。 17; pp。 345; 346。
22。 Bacon。 Novum Organon; L。 II。 Aphor。 II。 pp。 325; 326。 (Tennemann; Vol。 X。 pp。 35; 36);
Lib。 I。 Aphor。 51; p。 286; L。 II。 Aphor。 9; Aphor。 3; p。 326。
23。 Bacon。 Novum Organon; L。 II。 Aphor。 35; p。 366。
24。 The Quarterly Review; Vol。 XVII。 April; 1817; p。 52。 Cf。 Bacon。 De auginentis scientiarum;
III。 c。 4; p。 236 (p。 91)。
Section One: Modern Philosophy in its First Statement
B。 JACOB BOEHME。
WE now pass on from this English Lord Chancellor; the leader of the external; sensuous method in
Philosophy; to the philosophus teutonicus; as he is called — to the German cobbler of Lusatia; of
whom we have no reason to be ashamed。 It was; in fact; through him that Philosophy first
appeared in Germany with a charact