Institutes of Metaphysic: The Theory of Knowing and Being

James Frederick Ferrier

W. Blackwood, 1856 - First philosophy - 543 pages

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The word Philosophy as here employed	1

The two main requisitions of philosophy	2

Which of them is the more stringent	3

The value of systems determined by a reference to these requisitions	4

An unreasoned system of no value because at variance with definition of philosophy	5

Because though true it cannot be certain	6

Because of no use as a mental discipline	7

A reasoned system though not true has some value as an exercise of reason	8

The individual or monad	254

Another objection obviated	255

PROPOSITION X	257

OBSERVATIONS AND EXPLANATIONS	258

Tenth Counterproposition	259

Comment on the translation here given of the counterproposition	260

The counterproposition is equally contradictory whether accepted without or with a restriction	261

The antisensual psychology merely restricts the counterproposition leaves the contradiction uncorrected	263

It complies more closely with definition of philosophy than the other	9

But a system should be both true and reasoned	10

Systems of philosophy are unreasoned hitherto	11

The present state of philosophy described	12

First How is this state to be explained? Secondly How remedied?	13

First it is explained 1431 by philosophy not being reasoned	14

No good can be expected so long as philosophy is not reasoned	15

The masks of philosophy	16

Its unsatisfactory state further accounted for The globe of speculation	17

Explanation continued First principles always come out last	18

Illustrations of this from language and grammar	19

Illustration continued	20

Illustration from logic	21

Illustration from law	22

How ill the necessary truths have fared in Germany and in our	24

The true compromise between Sense and Intellect	28

A remedial system uniting truth and reason not impossible	33

it steers clear of spurious idealism 507	35

The synthesis of ego and nonego is original and not factitious	36

Why philosophy must be polemical She exists only to correct the inad	39

Its positive object still more distinctly stated Definition of metaphysics	45

338	49

All other systems make game of the laws of thought	50

General unintelligibility of systems is due to their neglect to exhibit this	51

3	52

The epistemology does of itself afford no entrance to ontology Why not?	57

The natural oversights of thought are rectified in these three sections	63

Their laws of thought always turn out at best to be mere laws of ima	65

PROPOSITION VI	73

PROPOSITION I	79

5	81

6	82

7	84

8	85

9	86

11	87

13	89

14	90

15	91

16	92

17	93

19	94

888995	98

PROPOSITION III	105

No essential but only an accidental difference between the minimum	113

Matter per se reduced to the contradictory	134

20	140

21	141

22	142

Application to philosophy Here too first principles come out last 24 These principles though operative in philosophy are unnoticed and un known	143

THE UNIVERSAL AND THE PARTICULAR IN COGNITION	156

DEMONSTRATION	157

Its criterion is the law of contradiction 99 Law explained	158

Why this proposition is introduced	160

Question concerning the particular and the universal instead of being made a question of Knowing	161

Was made a question of being by the early philosophers Thales	163

It still related to Beingnot to Knowing	164

Indecision of Greek speculation The three crises of philosophy	165

Plato appeared during the second crisis His aim	167

The coincidence of the known and the existent must be proved not guessed at	168

His merits The question respecting the particular and the universal demands an entire reconsideration	169

A preliminary ambiguity	170

Further statement of ambiguity	171

Is the Platonic analysis of cognition and existence a division into ele ments or into kinds?	173

Rightly interpreted it is a division into elements	174

It has been generally mistaken for a division into kinds	176

Explanation of this charge	177

Sixth Counterproposition	179

This counterproposition is itself a proof of the charge here made against philosophers	180

Review of our position	181

Misinterpretation of the Platonic analysis traced into its consequences	182

Perplexity as to general existences	183

Realism is superseded by Conceptualism	184

Conceptualism is destroyed by Nominalism	185

to conciliate nominalism Its failure	186

Evasion by which conceptualism endeavours to recover her ground and 29 Nominalism	190

Nominalism is annihilated by Proposition VI	191

The sumining up	192

The abstract and the concrete	193

PROPOSITION VII	196

OBSERVATIONS AND EXPLANATIONS	197

neglect of this propo	206

The second clause of proposition has had a standing in philosophy from	213

sertion that it was	216

explained	219

Materiality and immateriality Eighth Counterproposition	227

Both parties hold mind to be particular	233

The materialists error consists in his holding mind to be particular	235

The spiritualists error consists in his holding mind to be particular	236

The two errors summed up	238

PROPOSITION IX	241

OBSERVATIONS AND EXPLANATIONS	242

Objection obviated	243

Another objection obviated	244

David Hume outgoes this proposition	245

What this proposition contends for	246

Ninth Counterproposition	248

History of word essence Its meaning reversed by moderns	249

Consequences of this reversalinjustice to the old philosophers	250

Confusion and error to which the reversal has led	251

This proposition reduces the ego per se to a contradiction	252

Why the word ego is used in these discussions	253

The root of the mischief History of distinction between sense and intellect	264

A rule for the historian of philosophy	266

Return to history of distinction between sense and intellect	267

Illustration of early Greek doctrine	269

PROPOSITION XIII	310

Further explanation of how one self can conceive another self	316

PROPOSITION XVII	335

The exact point in the counterproposition which natural thinking	341

Errors caused by this reversal	346

Two main ambiguities in the old systems	350

A traditional dogma about disdaining the senses	356

PROPOSITION XVIII	363

DEMONSTRATION	367

PROPOSITION XXI	373

A reminder	379

The importance of this result	401

PROPOSITION II	410

PROPOSITION IV	417

Fifth Counterproposition	423

PROPOSITION VII	430

THE OBJECT OF ALL IGNORANCE	432

OBSERVATIONS AND EXPLANATIONS	433

The object of ignorance is neither nothing nor the contradictory	434

It is believed that this doctrine is new	435

What has caused this doctrine to be missed	436

Another circumstance which has caused it to be missed	437

In fixing the object of ignorance this proposition does not deny its mag nitude	438

How far the object of ignorance is definable and how far it is not de finable	439

The advantage of discriminating the necessary from the contingent laws of knowledge	440

This system is more humble in its pretensions than other systems	442

Eighth Counterproposition	443

Illustration of the difference between the speculative and the ordinary view in regard to the object of ignorance	444

The substantial and absolute in ignorance	446

Concluding remark	447

SECTION III	451

PROPOSITION I	453

OBSERVATIONS AND EXPLANATIONS	454

The third alternative has to be eliminated	455

First Counterproposition	456

In what respect it is wrong	457

Origin of the mistake in regard to this law	458

The want of a clear doctrine of the contradictory has been the cause of much error in philosophy	459

Distinction between the singly and the doubly contradictory	460

PROPOSITION III	464

PROPOSITION VI	472

WHAT ABSOLUTE EXISTENCE IS NOT	477

Importance of the ego as a constituent of Absolute Existence	478

PROPOSITION IX	479

Question as to the origin of knowledgehas been erroneously treated	480

First consequence of the assumption Ninth Counterproposition	481

The earliest form of representationism Physical Influx	482

Correction of this doctrine by Des Cartes	483

Consequences of the Cartesian correction	484

The Cartesian salvohypothesis of Occasional Causes Its insuffi ciency	486

his Vision of all things in God	487

his Preestablished Harmony	488

Lockes explanation	489

his doctrine of intuitive perception	490

His fundamental defect	491

his misunderstanding of Berkeley	492

Reid failed to establish a doctrine of intuitive perception	493

His character as a philosopher	494

He mistook the vocation of philosophy	496

Kant Innate Ideas	497

The circumstance to be particularly attended to in considering this doc trine	499

This misconception has never been guarded against by any philosopher	500

In this controversy Kant is as much at fault as his predecessors	502

How this system of Institutes avoids these errors	504

it finds that all cognition consists of two elements	505

Fourthly it finds that matter is only a half cognition	506

Return Philosophy deals with necessary truthstherefore retarded by their prescription 35	509

secondary	510

PROPOSITION X	511

OBSERVATIONS AND EXPLANATIONS	512

What is Truth?	513

All Existence is the synthesis of the universal and the particular	514

Thus the equation of the Known and the Existent has been proved	515

The coincidence of the Absolute in Existence with the Absolute in Cog nition has also been proved	516

Attention called to restriction in foregoing paragraph	517

This paragraph qualifies a previous assertion	518

In what sense we know and in what sense we are ignorant of Absolute Existence	519

Tenth Counterproposition	520

PROPOSITION XI	522

OBSERVATIONS AND EXPLANATIONS	523

The system is forced to this conclusion	525

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION	526

It is submitted that the system is both reasoned and true	527

Its negative character is to be attended to principally	528

The next step which the system takes in its negative or polemical character	529

The second contradiction which it corrects	530

The third contradiction which it corrects	531

The sixth contradiction which the epistemology corrects	532

The seventh contradiction which it corrects	533

The ninth contradiction which it corrects	534

The eleventh twelfth and thirteenth contradictions which it corrects	535

The leading contradiction which the agnoiology corrects	536

The derivative contradictions which it corrects	537

The opinions entertained by natural thinking and to some extent by psychology on the subject of Being	538

Exposure and refutation of these contradictions	539

The tenth contradiction which the ontology corrects	540

By the correction of these contradictions the system has redeemed its pledge	541

As a discipline of necessary and demonstrated truth	542

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Institutes of Metaphysic: The Theory of Knowing and Being
James Frederick Ferrier
Full view - 1856

Common terms and phrases

Absolute Existence affirm agnoiology answer apprehended called cause character common conception condition constitute contingent contradic contradiction contradictory counter-pro counter-proposition declares definition demonstration distinction elements of cognition epistemology error essential expressed factor genus gible Hegel Hence ignorance inadvertencies Institutes intellect intelligence Kant kind knowable laid law of contradiction laws of thought ledge logy lutely material things matter matter per se means ment merely metaphysics mind natural thinking necessary laws necessary truth necessity never nition nonsense object of knowledge OBSERVATIONS AND EXPLANATIONS ontology opinion ordinary thinking ourselves oversights particular perceptions phenomenal philo philoso Plato popular psychology position possible present principles PROP proposition psychology racter regard remark representationism sense separable in cognition sophy speculation starting-point subject and object substance suppose supposition synthesis ter-proposi theory thing or thought tion true truth of reason unintelligible unit or minimum virtually embraces whole words

Popular passages

Page 97 - The object of knowledge, whatever it may be, is always something more than is naturally or usually regarded as the object. It always is, and must be, the object with the addition of one's self, — object plus subject ; thing, or thought, mecum. Self is an integral and essential part of every object of cognition ' — a various wording of the general doctrine.‎

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Page 543 - THE CRUISE OF THE MIDGE. By the Author of " Tom Cringle's Log." In One Volume, Foolscap 8vo, 3s. ed. THE LIFE OF MANSIE WAUCH, TAILOR IN DALKEITH. Foolscap 8vo, 2s. 6d. THE SUBALTERN. By the Author of " The Chelsea Pensioners." Foolscap 8vo, 2s. 6d. PENINSULAR SCENES AND -SKETCHES. By the Author of ‎

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Page 402 - Therefore, we can be ignorant only of what can possibly be known ; in other words, there can be an ignorance only of that of which there can be a knowledge.‎

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Page 513 - All absolute exist"ences are contingent except one: in other words, there is " One, but only one, Absolute Existence which is strictly "necessary; and that existence is a supreme and infinite "and everlasting Mind in synthesis with all things.‎

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Page 245 - For my part, when I enter most intimately into what I call myself, I always stumble on some particular perception or other, of heat or cold, light or shade, love or hatred, pain or pleasure. I never can catch myself at any time without a perception, and never can observe anything but the perception.‎

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Bibliographic information

Title	Institutes of Metaphysic: The Theory of Knowing and Being
Author	James Frederick Ferrier
Edition	2
Publisher	W. Blackwood, 1856
Original from	the University of Michigan
Digitized	14 Feb 2006
Length	543 pages

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