RATIONAL PHILOSOPHY THE TRUTH OF THOUGHT OR MATERIAL LOGIC A SHORT TREATISE ON THE INITIAL PHILOSOPHY, A 14 F '98 B ·75 PREFACE. THIS Volume aims at presenting the testimony of nature and humanity on the reality and reliability of knowledge. Philosophy is scientific knowledge. It is the knowledge of things in their causes. It tries to answer the questions, what? whence? how? why? whither? Now, before applying ourselves to the acquisition of philosophical knowledge, special or general, it is well for us to make some inquiry into the philosophy of knowledge itself. Whilst thus preluding our researches we shall be providing ourselves with a certain mental equipment which we ⚫ shall find to be invaluable in our future study. We require for our present purpose no other data than those universal convictions which have ever been found to be absolutely necessary for human existence both congregate and individual; and which are as strong and as well grounded in the forest-dweller as in the academician. No labor has been spared to make the terminology here used what a philosophical terminology ought to be. Whilst it harmonizes with the terminology that has been consecrated by twenty centuries of usage, from the days of Aristotle and Plato, and whilst representing the most approved terminology of the modern foreign languages; it is, besides, in keeping with the best English terminology-the very earliest. The canons of language make |