The Metaphysical Foundation of Buddhism and Modern Science

intuitions. Such systems give life and motion to detached thoughts. Apart
from these efforts at coordination, detached thoughts would flash out in
idle moments, illuminate a passing phase of reflection, and would the
perish and be forgotten. The scope of an intuition can only be defined by
its coordination with other notions of equal generality. Even the
discordance of competing philosophic systems is a factor essential for
progress. The history of European thought, even to the present day, has
been tainted by a fatal misunderstanding. It may be termed The
Dogmatic Fallacy. The error consists in the persuasion that we are
capable of producing notions which are adequately defined in respect to
the complexity of relationship required for their illustrations in the real
world. Canst thou by searching describe the Universe? Except perhaps
for the simpler notions of arithmetic, even our more familiar ideas,
seemingly obvious, are infected with this incurable vagueness. Our right
understanding of the methods of intellectual progress depends on
keeping in mind this characteristic of our thoughts. The notions employed
in every systematic topic require enlightenment from the perspective of
every standpoint. They must be criticized from the standpoint of their
own internal consistency within that topic, and from the standpoint of
other topics of analogous generality, and from the standpoint of so-called
philosophic topics with a wider range. During the medieval epoch in
Europe, the theologians were the chief sinners in respect to dogmatic
finality. During the last three centuries, their bad preeminence in this
habit passed to the men of science. Our task is to understand how in fact
the human mind can successfully set to work for the gradual definition of