A Brief Account of ARISTOTLE'S

LOGIC. With REMARKS.

A

Ristotle had very uncommon advan tages: born in an age when the philofophical fpirit in Greece had long flourished, and was in its greatest vigour; brought up in the court of Macedon, where his father was the King's physician; twenty years a favourite scholar of Plato, and tutor to Alexander the Great; who both honoured him with his friendship, and supplied him with every thing neceffary for the profecution of his enquiries.

Thefe advantages he improved by indefatigable study, and immenfe reading. He was the firft, we know, fays Strabo, VOL. III. Q ૧ who

idgetour! indi to this the

who compofed a library. And in Egyptian and Pergamenian kings, copied his example. As to his genius, it would be difrefpectful to mankind, not to allow an uncommon fhare to a man who governed the opinions of the moft enlightened part of the fpecies near two thousand

If his talents had been laid out folely for the discovery of truth and the good of mankind, his laurels would have remained for ever fresh: but he feems to havę had a greater paffion for fame than for truth, and to have wanted rather to be admired as the prince of philofophers than to be useful fo that it is dubious, whe ther there be in his character, most of the philofopher or of the fophift. The opinion of Lord Bacon is not without probability, That his ambition was as (boundlefs as that of his royal pupil/ the one apiring at univerfal monarchy over the bodies and fortunes of men, the other over their opinions. If this was the cafe, it cannot be faid, that the philofopher purfued his aim with lefs industry, less ability, or lefs fuccefs than the hero.

His writings carry too evident marks

of

of that philofophical pride, vanity, and envy, which have often fullied the charac ter of the learned. He determines boldly things above all human knowledge; and enters upon the most difficult questions, as his pupil entered on a battle, with full affurance of fuccefs. He delivers his decifions oracularly, and without any fear of mistake. Rather than confefs his ignorance, he hides it under hard words and ambiguous expreffions, of which his interpreters can make what they please. There is even reafon to fufpect, that he wrote often with affected obfcurity, either that the air of mystery might procure greater veneration, or that his books might be understood only by the adepts who had been initiated in his philosophy, of radi

His conduct towards the writers that went before him has been much cenfured. After the manner of the Ottoman princes, fays Lord Verulam, he thought his throne could not be fecure unless he killed all his brethren. Ludovicus Vives charges him with detracting from all philofophers, that he might derive that glory to himself, of which he robbed them. He rarely quotes an author but with a view to cenfure, and 272

terms is neceffary in order to avoid miftakes! and the only poffible way of defining a term, is to express its meaning in more fimple terms. Terms expreffing ideas that are fimple without parts, admit not of being defined, becaufe there are no terms more fimple to exprefs their meaning. To fay that every term is capable of a definition, is in effect to fay, that terms resemble matter; that as the latter is divifible without end, fo the former is reducible into fimpler terms without end. The habit however of defining is fo inveterate in fome men, that they will attempt. to define, words fignifying fimple ideas. Is there any neceflity to define motion: do not children understand the meaning of the word? And how is it poffible to define it, when there are not words 'more fimple to define it by? Yet Worster (a) attempts that bold task. "A continual

66

r

change of place," fays he, "or leaving one place for another, without, remaining for any space of time in the fame place, is called motion."

That every

body in motion is continually changing place, is true: but change of place is not

(a) Natural Philofophy, p. 31.

motion 9

1

Sk. I. 2.

310 1137
Reafon.

AP. 295

motion; it is the effect of of motion.

Gravefend (a) defines motion thus,

er

"Mo

sxwa

tus eft tranflatio de loco in locum, five continua loci mutatio * which is the fame with the former. Yet this very author admits locus or place to fignify a fimple idea, incapable of a definition. Is it more fimple or more intelligible than motion? But, of all, the most remarkable definition of motion is that of Ariftotle, famous for its impenetrability, or rather abfurdity, "Actus entis in potentia, quatenus in "potentia t." His definition of time is numerus motus fecundum prius ac pofterius.

701

This definition as well as that of motion, may more properly be confidered as riddles propounded for exercifing invention. Not a few writers on algebra define negative quantities to be quantities lefs than nothing.

Extenfion enters into the conception of every particle of because every

matter;

(a) Elements of Physics, p. 28.

"Motion is, the removing from one place, to another, or a continual change of place."

+ "The action of a being in power, fo far as it " is in power."

particle