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History of natural philosophy : from the earliest periods to the present time / by Baden Powell
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PHYSICAL AND MATHEMATICAL SCIENCES. 197

specimens of the mode of investigation he was recom-mending ; yet, these instances were not of such a kind asto lead to any striking physical disooveries. The com-manding elevation in which he stands as a philosopher,and even as the founder of inductive philosophy, is duerather to the comprehensiveness of his genius, whichembraced the whole range and compass of natural science,seized the highest principles of almost every branch ofphysical enquiry, and traced out the method to be fol-lowed in bringing them to perfection: he foresaw theresults which were afterwards to he obtained, and pointedout the process by which they would be arrived at. Hesurveyed, as from an eminence, the rich and variedregion which was to become the domain of philosophy,and furnished a complete guide to the passes and roadsby which the incursions of science were to be effected,and the subjugation of the territory to be ensured.

Though most of the writings of this eminent man arefull of valuable illustrations and suggestions powerfullytending to the advancement of science, yet the work onwhich his fame chiefly rests, and by which his nameis imperishably associated with the endurance of theinductive philosophy, is the “ Novum Organon .” Thetitle was adopted in imitation of that of Aristotle ’s greatlogical system; and as that treatise contained a system-atic, classification of the various heads to which syllo-gistic reasoning was reducible, so the new “ Organon ”was in like manner designed to exhibit a similar tech-nical system, - under which the various species of expe-rimental evidence might be arranged. This philosophicalclassification of the several heads of inductive argumentis conceived with the most profound skill; and, whenwe consider the actual state of physical knowledge, ouradmiration cannot fail to be increased at the sagacityand penetration which could foresee and discriminatethe particular classes of experimental facts which wouldalways be the most available for eliciting their points ofgeneral agreement, and pursuing the process of general-isation. To put the subject in such a form, was alsoo 3