New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1853-04-08
prof. Bouen-Ii HI Ignorance and BianSers.
- a. rSs,r of TAeN Y Tribune:

90, ,he,eis an article entitled "Sr w Htrn,lton on
c,1o,onby and Educstiop" which contains 40 many
,0c,rsdicons faulty definitions. misstatemen,s OF the
n;oos Of others and blupdersn phlosophis.ng that
= oueht DO, 10 pass uDnoticed.
utbe beginning Of his article, the reviewer says Of
Cir Vim Hamilton
"His cifts are eninently those Of a critic he either
,..,O or viii not. expound bic own thought. except
vhile commenting on the thoughts OF othersT Re
riew,p.S)
On the next page he says
aSoont Is more capable Of rounding OFT his specula
,sos into o system o0nnected n%oLe; :. (p. ST.
Soaking of the principle Of csuss;ion the reviewer
ass This is not particular Judgment or one
landed on ezperieso 10 fact experience (so far at
.,t O. the outer world is coDcerned) does not make
tuown 10 US q spge true cause" %. ~ In the
ssxt paragraph he says The second opinion, which
,sfers the Judgment OF causstion 10 our mental
,rtnee or 10 consciousness Of the power Of votiOn
rrsr our scis ia rejected by ~ Wm. Hamilton, but
a. ne manhattan for insufficient reasons" % ~ One
~ two things The reviewer may sccept the contra
Action which have Designated by italicisDg the
ord experience" or, if he would save himself from
a.. by the parcnthetce cause $50 far q. least, q,
The outer world lie concerned" ne may accept psy
h,os;esl distinction between ose,ioe and su5sctire
.vnetiepce a. the basis Of his opinion in regard to
csusstion.
zinc, circumstances Of the efficiency Of our oDn coll
t,c,," 40 so) What aselfconscousness-to say moth.
,,r nj distinct selfconscousness-of something else
Than sefrnfsDs il more than can tell Or will the
reviewer identify se!f with eciency Of voliiOnl Ths
cannot be mere slip of the pen, for find him again
,peaking of the first act Of Consciousness by which
The ne is distinguished from the not In thar prtni
M. eogniion directly conscious Of the
,sptisy sctive, and the n0me ss essentially inert
psssive" %. 81 Philosophy Il no doubt greatly in.
Jelded TO the editor Of Tie North american Reriep for
the sublime psychological discovery, that in "he first
get of sfconeciousncss" we are directly conscious"
Of the and the notras and not only Of The and the
po,gs but aiso Of the essentially active" aud Of
the notrse Gas essentially inert or passive"
We even 6nd the blunders in the use of phiosophic
terms:
"Thc sytem of idealism or of disbelief in the reality
Of outward things which is naturally suggested by these
considerations, IL Deher extravagsnt absurd"
% COZ Idealism is here defined by Absolute dealism,
or genus by Of It's species (5ee Discussions
pbilosophy etc by Sir w Hamilton PIP. 81 So, g. TO-
1872 1871 and PAssIm)
"Tho material universe" says the reviewer sis con.
csiyed as existent in space events take place. exist
10 time. The equal mpossiblity of conceying, aud of
denying the intniy OF space and time gives rise 10 the
cont adctons which Kant calls the anI omes Of pure
reason There four such antnomes stated by ant
each consists OF two propositions contradictory OF each
other and he demonstrates both or course the proof
q q
the other il also demonstrated to be Thus far,
then Hamiton's doctrine is only a repetition OF Kans;
she former only char the order Of the proofs Kant
demonstrates that the contradictory propositions are
both true; Hamilton deaonstyd,es da hey BOTH IN
oJprthension Of hrr, faiseborrOwng for this pur
pose Rants proof Of the opposite doctrine" (p. 76)
The reviewer has here made gross blunder, that
we must doubt whether he understands the generic
principle of IIantons philosophy. Hamilton doos
not demonstrate that they the two PROPOSITIONS con.
Trajectory If each otbcr both. in apprehension
of them, false" BY the doctrine of Hamilton these
contradictory phenomena carried up into the com
mon principle Of a limitation Of our faculties lntel-
gence shown to be feeble but not false nature Is
thus lie the author OF our nature deceyer
Discussion u. $3.50 Sir William generaises the eoTdI
roned-egiaeRc, conditioned. the supreme category,
or categories, of thought. The subaern applications
of this form developed Immediately ONT OF the
generic principle discussions p. 10 and PIP 675, $3.50
Tie maintains that the uncOndinoued Is ncognsable
and nconcsivsble its notion being only negative Of he
conditioned which last can alone be positively known
or conceived" DIS p. l2.) The iasRite and the abso
US equally 5 the Hs%cn %SS.s sa
thory In regard TO his DOCTRINES somewhat better
tban that OF the North American reviewer declares
aud did philosopher pen sublmcr passage-thn
the mind " not represented IA cOnceying two propo
siiions subversive Of each other equally possible
but emily unable 20 understand as possible, sssI OF
two extremes one OF which however, on inc psas1 Of
thor mutual repugnRnce Is compelled 10 recognize ~
fIue We thus taught the salutnry lesson, that the
capacity Of thought lie not to beconstitued into the mes
sure OF existence and are warned from recognising the
domain OF our knowledge as necessarily co extensive
with the horizon of our faith And 10y wonderful rev.
.etion we thus in the very consciousness OF our
inability 10 conceive Gueht above the relative ana finite
inspired with belief in the existence OF something I'M
CONDITIONED beyond the sphere OF all comprehensive
rcslides" (Dis D. 80.
In Sir VIM Hsmiltop's philosophy then 40 far are
We from apyrekcdiN4 the contradictory propositions a,
10th false that we simply Hnabl' 70 understand
them az possible, and comp aed by law of logic
70 recognize one OF the II ms true
DOR reviewer uses (p 10 the expression "ab'oi1e
non comueu cement instead OF minute non commence
mept which strengthens VS. IN the conviction tnat ne
hss moi even mastered the categones Of Air Wdlam
This il a capital hlunder, aud made, too wan attempt
ing TO state Iamions theory of The Judgment oil eAus
atty.
take. 10 combat and theirs Is certain evidence that
he clearly understands what IL Ii he has no, master
ed the cneeores of Sir VIM Hamilton, he has not, OF
course CompfchC ndCd judgment that Is coroilsiy
of me law of the conditioned. in its application 70
ming thought under the form or mental category oil e.
sssnes rslafire IN TINE" dis y. a9i)
he resolves our positive aarma'iOa,' says the re-
viewer thsi every event mus have cause into mere
n.gs,ion or result Of the lEoopeeRcy Of ne hiRSTS
facakv We cannOt conceive, we cannot even thlnk an
,hsolute commencement Of existence. The eaasAl
;ndcnsnt il but one form OF the universal maxim,
rsio niAI a. Because we cannot imagine, or IN any
Way oonsirue 70 thought that something should he ere
stea out OF nothing, whenever new phenome non ap-
rears we constrained TO believe tht II did really
.,is, pror 10 this manifestation q H. under other
Soma IN 75O Elsewhere the reviewer uses the sN
,,re.aop. "incompesucy OF the inellect' % ~ I'm
ro,ency OF thought, % sOl The reviewer does oos
seem 70 be aware that Hamilton is discussing tss q
tAe.skt instead oil tax Of tAiHsS He seems 70 DC
ryen surprised that thinker should s'tenpt to explain
.omehirc on the ground of u RSgaiIpt fnsp'snee we
can predict then that he will contradict hNseu beIore
having gone far The reviewer does not seem 10 Mo"
,b.t Hamilton mean. by sssa'iN lapOeset Renee no
tJssnitely expreses by incomPe,ency Of ne Aiss
jas fsssfy, isce-pesy q ne ',e1ee' and ''posNey
aTLogsk Hamilton has clearly dehned II TO one wno
,S.rSssrds his ca,erores in a sincle sen,eoce We
rssncs know, we cannot think thing, except undef
,hs attribute OF ex3aeAes' we cannot know OF hlnA
,S;,s Ia exist except IA tf; and We cannot Aao~
,I,nk thing O. exist in time, aed think II e'sS.stss
s,s--(aee" Dds D. 59l) WIN the reviewer deny
On law OF ntina's iRoe@fTesssaisy (see Hsnd'ons s
,.opS on Reid $40 which results n IN our 'sS'1'
~ ~, we have conceived eNisscnt IA sYics ~
a., .nscs hrcomiue non exsseut-w9i he deny tas law
-, he r-ound that We cannot evoke asaos,sha's I've
- ,n9 of n mere inccmpetcncy oi the intei'Nti