Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1917-06-28

people living IN the WOnoerIuiiy Deauti-
full peninsula, where It would seem as
IL nature, herself, interested in this COM
bat between truth and dogma, had made
a fit setting for the beginning of the
great struggle. 1t was here that group
worked out form of government which
permitted an individual to develop to his
full limits-unrestrained save by the lin
it's of group rights. Nor did these group
rights become crystallixed and unresisting
until they were manipulated by false
philosophers, who had lost their love for
the truth. who no longer sought truth
for it's own sake, but who were ready to
hide their selfishness and their slothful-
ness behind the barrier of dogma.
1t IL difficult, indeed, to say just when
the Greeks began to look about with
the scientific viewpoint, and to examine
and control their environment by the use
Of scientific methods. The merest proof
that they did 80 Is to be found in the
indisputed case Of their mental, physical
and political superiority. Beyond doubt,
however, we may say that their scientific
interest in this world began when these
beauty-lovlng Greeks gazed skyward, and
reverently. but yet accurately, began to
measure those things which were the
most mysterious to them-the stars and
the suns.
were few Of those illustrious men, who
in their passion for truth. attempted in
4 crude way to establish the laws of the
environment in which they lived, and by
| this means to obtain a standard by which
they might measure truth. Aristotle in
| reality was the first great scientist, for
| it was he who established the principles
Of science-the principles of analysis and
synthesis-who, in q crude laboratory,
brought together the simple facts of life,
broke them down. in order that he might
build up the wonderful laws of nature
Following after him, came Euclid and
Archinedes, the first of the scientific
mathematician and physicists-those
nature and brought forth many facts
which to-day form the basis of our sci
ences.
l mention these contributions Of the
Greek people to science merely to show
| that. though with US to this day, the
Greek people are known primarily for
their philosophy, their keenness in the
search for truth, and their eagerness to
penetrate the regions of the unknown
permitted them to work in the field of the
sciences as we'll as in the field of philo-
sophy-a field which perhaps yielded them
a greater degree Of pleasure. for by ma
/
philosophy in scientific generalization.
From the Romans, the contributions of
scientific thought are not SO great. The
Romans, as we popularity think of them,
were fighters and Organizers-not given
to philosophical concepts-acquainted
merely with the practical interests of this
| life. They were concerned not to seek af-
ter truth in its abstract form, but to see,
in the concrete, that each Roman citizen.
as he worked and lived received his
| full quota of justice. Strangely enough
| then, the Roman civilization was wonder
full. and was rich in it's political con-
cepts, yet it gave practically nothing new
to the development of scientific and phil
osophical thought. For once, at least, in
the history of civilization we find that
the search for truth in the political field
and the search for truth in the scientific
field are not wholly identified.
! 1t is in the history of Aristotelian phil
Osophy that we find clearly expressed the
warfare between truth and dogma Enun-
ciated by Aristotle, and based upon truth
as he knew it. his philosophy as it was
given to the Greeks contained the essence
of truth. 1t was developed as that Won
derful philosopher cropping after the real
facts of this life, gathered together
enough to prove the existence Of funda-
mental laws, and it was accepted by his
associates only as they examined and
found it complying with their standards
of judgment AS time went on, the flame
of Greece burned low. To the East of them
there lived Il people, the Moors, n race
which gave to us our monotheistic con.
cepts in religion and. in science. the basis
for much Of our mathematics. 1t was these
people who absorbed Greek learning and
culture, and who in the interim-whilt
Western Europe was under the dominance
of the Roman Empire-moved West car
ried this Greek culture across to Africa
and up into the Spanish peninsula. There
they established colleges and universities
and from these Moorish institutions the
Church schools of Christendom received
their early knowledge OF Aristoteliar
philosophy. Strangely enough when thu
schools and universities were darkenet
by the absolutism. and dogmatism which
checked the development Of PHILOSOPHERS
and scientific thought within the Chris
tan boundaries of Europe. II was the
stimulus Of Moorish learing-that stimuli.
which, although not progressive was a
least respectful for truth, and scornfu
Of all that attempted to prevent it-tha
began the rule of Aristotelian philosophy
The Roman civilization under which
the people Of Western Europe lived, CAV,
them concepts Of hard and fast organiza
ton. Their religious concepts were petri
fed. and SO under the stimulus of some
thing new something purely philosophi
cal--they eagerly took to new doctrines
Of philosophy. The depth and purity o
thought and language proved a fascina
tion-yet, strangely enough, instead o
Transforming and developing their view
point, it only tended to crystalize it, an,
| rather than a helm IL DrOved "A hiudra nca
So the Aristotelian philosophy became
dogma, and held back the progress O
Western Europe for hundreds OF years
Dogma then. we may say. is the crystal
lization of a thought-yet unable to grow
as other things grow because unable t
, undergo the test of examination. Let u
put It another way. A dogma is finishe
formulated theory which may or may no
, have been based upon organized an
tested fact. Rarely indeed has it been s.
based. But in any case once formulate
, II ceases growth. 1t has crystalized int
completed form. 1t is dead unrelated in
organic matter. A truth is living organ
. ism. Once formulated it takes its plac
with the great body Of discovered knowl
edge forming the living organism b.
which man struggles on to freedom
forming the great body of the union b
which man reasons and solves the prob
=, lens that confront him.
, The Dark Ages have been misnamed. /
, reality that period covering these years
e was an age of contrast. 1t was an age G
= chivalry and an age OF serfdom; il wa
an age OF virtue and an age Of vice;
, was an age of learning and an age @
= ignorance: II was an age of truth and a
e age of dogma. The scholasticism Of tn
- | Church schools w