Buchanan's Journal of Man, February 1887: Volume 1, Number 1
Philosophy
Buchanan's Journal of Man, February 1887: Volume 1, Number 1
Medicine -- Periodicals; Phrenology -- Periodicals; Science -- Periodicals
Kind reader! Let me presume that you are in search of truth, and that
you have an intuition sufficient to tell you that this unending search
is the inspiring energy of the JOURNAL OF MAN Let us realize the
vastness of truth, the vastness of those realms of knowledge
heretofore unexplored by man, in which the JOURNAL is to perform its
work, and in realizing that, it will be very obvious that no single
number of the JOURNAL can be an adequate specimen to give a just
conception of what it is to be, how many hundred themes it will have
to consider, how many errors to analyze, how many new suggestions to
introduce, how many criticisms of the old, how many expositions of the
new. The present number of the JOURNAL is little more than a
promissory note for its future.
Even as a commentary on periodical literature, there will be a
countless number of the superficial theories of ignorance and haste
for it to examine, while there will be the more pleasing task of
noting the introduction of sound philosophy, the progress of careful
investigation, the uprising of common sense against hereditary
falsehood, and the gradual enlightenment of the clerical, medical, and
educational professions by the slow progress of new ideas, and the
unembarrassed progress of the physical sciences and inventions which
encounter no collegiate hindrance, excepting this, that the average
liberal education, as it is called, gives so little knowledge of
physical science, that the educated classes often fail to distinguish
between the real inventor and the deluded, or delusive, impostor.
The inventor is the emancipator of mankind from the oppressive burden
of toil, and hence the philanthropist should ever look with interest
to the progress of invention, should ever be ready to cooperate with
inventive genius. The JOURNAL should be the inventor's friend, and it
hopes to see the time when the national institution that I have
proposed shall be established, to bring blind, but all powerful,
capital into co-operation with the wise, but often powerless,
inventor.
Invention is the physical, as philosophy is the intellectual power, to
complete the emancipation of mankind from slavery and suffering. "No,"
would the theologian say, "your false philosophy ends in nothing. The
world has been full of philosophies from Democritus to Hegel, and they
have never lifted a single straw's weight from the burden that
oppresses all humanity. The real burden is sin, and religion alone can
remove that, and bring in the kingdom of heaven on earth."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account