The Continental Monthly, Vol. 4, No. 6, December 1863: Devoted to Literature and National PolicyVarious
History
The Continental Monthly, Vol. 4, No. 6, December 1863: Devoted to Literature and National Policy
Various
Literature, Modern -- 19th century -- Periodicals; United States -- Politics and government -- 19th century -- Periodicals
A number of Classifications of human knowledge have been attempted, none
of which were exact or complete, or could have been, for a reason which
was stated above, and none of which are now considered to be
satisfactory by the Scientific world. Bacon and D'Alembert, men of
vigorous and vast intellectual capacity, were admirably adapted to such
a work, so far as it could be performed in their day. But the state of
knowledge and Scientific progress was not sufficiently advanced, at that
time, to render any Classification which could be made of more than
temporary value, and those furnished by these illustrious thinkers now
appertain only to the archaeology of Science.
The Classification of Auguste Comte, in the absence of a more exact,
complete, and inclusive one, still holds the highest rank, and is the
only one which now claims the attention of the general Thinker. It is
very restricted in its application, professing to include only the
domain which Comte calls abstract or general Science, which has for its
object the discovery of the laws which regulate Phenomena in all
conceivable cases within their domain, and excluding the sphere of what
he denominates concrete, particular, or descriptive Science, whose
function it is to apply these laws to the history of existing beings.
This throws such Natural Sciences as Botany, Zoology, Mineralogy,
Geology, etc., out of his range. He also excludes the domain of
_practical_ Knowledge, comprising what is included under the terms, the
Applied Sciences, the Arts, the Mechanical Sciences, etc. A
Classification, far more detailed and comprehensive in its scope than
anything yet published, is in preparation by Professor P. H. Vander
Weyde, of the Cooper Institute--advanced sheets of which, so far as it
is elaborated, have been kindly furnished to the writer by the
author--the incomplete state of which, however, prevents a further
consideration here.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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