The method to science by J.S.

Title

The method to science by J.S.

Author

Sergeant, John, 1622-1707.

Publication

London :: Printed by W. Redmayne ... and are be sold by Thomas Metcalf ...,

1696.

Rights/Permissions

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Subject terms

Science -- Methodology -- Early works to 1800.

Science -- Philosophy -- Early works to 1800.

Link to this Item

https://name.umdl.umich.edu/A59232.0001.001 content_copy

Cite this Item

"The method to science by J.S." In the digital collection Early English Books Online. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/A59232.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed May 19, 2025. content_copy

Contents

• title page
• table of contents
• errata
  • The Errata's in the Preface.
  • Corrections of the Errata.
• PREFACE DEDICATORY TO THE LEARNED STUDENTS OF Both Our Universities.
• THE METHOD TO SCIENCE. BOOK I.
  • LESSON I. Of Notions, or the very First Ground on which all Science is built.
    • COROLARIES.
  • LESSON II. Of the Distinction of Natural Notions, and of the Reducing them under Ten Common Heads.
  • LESSON III. How these Common Heads of Notions are to be Divided.
    • COROLARIES.
  • LESSON IV. Some Considerations belonging to those Ten Heads of Notions, or to the Ten Pre∣dicaments in Common.
    • COROLLARY.
  • LESSON V. Of the Common Head called Quantity.
  • LESSON VI. Of the Common Head of Quality.
  • LESSON VII. Of the Common Head of Relation.
  • LESSON VIII. Of the Common Heads of Action and Passion.
  • LESSON IX. Of the Common Head of Ubi or Where.
  • LESSON X. Of the Common Head of Quando or When.
  • LESSON XI. Of the Expression of Our Notions by Words.
• BOOK II. OF THE SECOND Operation OF OUR Understanding, or Judgments.
  • LESSON I. Of the Nature of Judgments, or Proposi∣tions in Common; of their Parts; of the Ground of their Verification; and of the several Manners of Predicating.
  • LESSON II. Of Self-Evident Propositions, or First Principles.
  • LESSON III. That First Principles are Identical Propo∣sitions prov'd by Instances. The Use that is to be made of them. Also of some other Propositions, either in whole or in part, Formally Identical; and of the Re∣ducing of Inferiour Truths to Self-evi∣dent Propositions.
  • LESSON IV. Of the Generating of Knowledge in us, and of the Method how this is perform'd.
• BOOK III. Of the Third Operation of our Vnderstanding, Discourse; and of the Effects and Defects of it.
  • LESSON I. Of Artificial Discourse, the Force of Consequence, and of the only Right Figure of a Syllogism.
  • LESSON II. Of the several Manners or Moods of a Syllogism; and of the Laws of Concluding.
  • LESSON III. Of the Matter of a Conclusive Syllo∣gism; or, what Middle▪ Term is proper for Demonstration.
  • LESSON IV. How every Truth is to be Reduced to an Identical Proposition; and consequently, every Errour to a Con∣tradiction; What Consequences fol∣low thence of one Truth being in another; and of the Science of Pure Spirits.
  • LESSON V. Of other Mediums for Demonstration taken from the Four Causes.
  • LESSON VI. Several Instances of Demonstration.
    • Thesis I. Infinit Number is Impossible.
      • Demonstration First.
    • The same Thesis Infinit Number is impossible.
      • Demonstration Second.
    • Thesis II. All Continu'd Quantity is one Whole consi∣sting of Potential, or still Divisible, Parts.
      • Proposition I. Quantity cannot be compounded of a Finite Number of Indivisibles.
      • Proposition II. Quantity cannot be compounded of an In∣finit Number of Indivisibles.
      • Proposition III. If any two parts of Quantity be Actually distinct, All the parts must be Actually distinct also.
    • Thesis III. 15. Successive Quantity or Motion, and, con∣sequently, the Course of Nature, could not have been ab Aeterno, but must have had a Beginning.
      • Demonstration IV.
    • Thesis IV. There are Spiritual Beings, which we call Angels.
      • Demonstration V.
  • LESSON VII. Other Instances of Demonstration.
    • Thesis V. THere is a First Self-Existent Being; or a Deity.
      • Demonstration VI.
        • Proposition I. The Notion or Nature of Ens and of Existent in Creatures, (and consequently of Essence and Existence) are Distinct.
        • Proposition II. 4. The Notion of Ens Abstracts from Exi∣stence, or is Indifferent to it and to Non-existence.
        • Proposition III. 5. Were there any Inclination in Created Entities to one more than to the other, it seems to be rather to Not-being; than to Being.
        • Proposition IV. 6. Existence is no ways Intrinsical to any Created Ens; either Essentially, or as an Affection springing out of it's Essence.
        • Proposition V. 7. All Created things have their Existence from something that is Extrinsical to them.
        • Proposition VI.
        • Proposition VII. 9. There must be some Vncreated Cause that gives Existence to all Created Entities.
        • Proposition VIII. 10. This Vncreated Cause of all Existence must be Self-Existent; that is, his Es∣sence must be his Existence.
    • Thesis VI. An Angel cannot undergo any Change after the First Instant of it's Being.
      • Demonstration VII.
        • Proposition I. No Corporeal Operation is without Local Motion.
        • Proposition II. 13. That an Angel is not susceptible of Lo∣cal Motion.
        • Proposition III. 15. That no Body can cause a Change in an Angel.
        • Proposition IV. 16. That an Angel cannot change it self after the First Instant.
        • Proposition V.
        • Proposition VI. 18. Put any multitude of Angels, how great soever, all that they can work upon one another will be perform'd in the First Instant of their Being.
        • Proposition VII. 19. That 'tis Infinitly more Impossible an An∣gel should be chang'd by God after the first In∣stant, than by any other Spirit.
        • Proposition IX. 20. That 'tis absolutely Impossible an Angel should be Changed after the First In∣stant of it's Being.
        • ADVERTISEMENT.
  • LESSON VIII. Of Opinion and Faith.
  • LESSON IX. Of Assent, Suspence, Certainty and Uncertainty.
  • LESSON X. Of Disputation, and Paralogisms.
• APPENDIX.