The Idea of a University Defined and Illustrated: In Nine Discourses Delivered to the Catholics of DublinNewman, John Henry
Religion
The Idea of a University Defined and Illustrated: In Nine Discourses Delivered to the Catholics of Dublin
Newman, John Henry
Education, Higher; Universities and colleges
This objection, he says, is, that, “as the pursuit of wealth is one of the
humblest of human occupations, far inferior to the pursuit of virtue, or
of knowledge, or even of reputation, and as the possession of wealth is
not necessarily joined,—perhaps it will be said, is not conducive,—to
happiness, a science, of which the only subject is wealth, cannot claim to
rank as the first, or nearly the first, of moral sciences.”(9) Certainly,
to an enthusiast in behalf of any science whatever, the temptation is
great to meet an objection urged against its dignity and worth; however,
from the very form of it, such an objection cannot receive a satisfactory
answer by means of the science itself. It is an objection external to the
science, and reminds us of the truth of Lord Bacon’s remark, “No perfect
discovery can be made upon a flat or a level; neither is it possible to
discover the more remote and deeper parts of any science, if you stand
upon the level of the science, and ascend not to a higher science.”(10)
The objection that Political Economy is inferior to the science of virtue,
or does not conduce to happiness, is an ethical or theological objection;
the question of its “rank” belongs to that Architectonic Science or
Philosophy, whatever it be, which is itself the arbiter of all truth, and
which disposes of the claims and arranges the places of all the
departments of knowledge which man is able to master. I say, when an
opponent of a particular science asserts that it does not conduce to
happiness, and much more when its champion contends in reply that it
certainly does conduce to virtue, as this author proceeds to contend, the
obvious question which occurs to one to ask is, what does Religion, what
does Revelation, say on the point? Political Economy must not be allowed
to give judgment in its own favour, but must come before a higher
tribunal. The objection is an appeal to the Theologian; however, the
Professor does not so view the matter; he does not consider it a question
for Philosophy; nor indeed on the other hand a question for Political
Economy; not a question for Science at all; but for Private Judgment,—so
he answers it himself, and as follows:
12.
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