File:Beacon lights of history. (The world's heroes and master minds) (1888) (14763070092).jpg

Identifier: beaconlightsofh01lord (find matches)
Title: Beacon lights of history. (The world's heroes and master minds)
Year: 1888 (1880s)
Authors: Lord, John, 1810-1894
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Publisher: New York, J. Clarke
Contributing Library: Robarts - University of Toronto
Digitizing Sponsor: University of Toronto

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nd, were the only realities, the only sure foundationfor a philosophical system. So he propounded certain questions, which, whenanswered, produced glaring contradictions, from whichdisputants shrank. Their conclusions broke downtheir assumptions. They stood convicted of igno-rance, to which all his artful and subtle questionstended, and which it was his aim to prove. He showedthat they did not know what they affirmed. He provedthat their definitions were wrong or incomplete, sincethey logically led to contradictions; and he showed thatfor purposes of disputation the same meaning mustalways attach to the same word, since in ordinary lan-guage terms have different meanings, partly true andpartly false, which produce confusion in argument.He would be precise and definite, and use the utmostrigor of language, without which inquirers and dis-putants would not understand each other. Every defi-nition should include the whole thing, and nothingelse; otherwise, people would not know what they
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GREEK PHILOSOPHY. 259 were talking about, and would be forced into absurdi-ties Thus arose the celebrated definitions,—the firststep in Greek philosophy, — intending to show what is,and what is Twt. After demonstrating what is not,Socrates advanced to the demonstration of what is, andthus laid a foundation for certain knowledge: thus hearrived at clear conceptions of justice, friendship, pa-triotism, courage, and other certitudes, on which truthis based. He wanted only positive truth, — somethingto build upon,—like Bacon and all great inquirers. Hav-ing reached the certain, he would apply it to all therelations of life, and to all kinds of knowledge. Unlessknowledge is certain, it is worthless,—there is no foun-dation to build upon. Uncertain or indefinite knowl-edge is no knowledge at all; it may be very pretty, oramusing, or ingenious, but no more valuable for phil-osophical research than poetry or dreams or specula-tions. How far the definitions of Socrates led to the sol

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