Chapter I (part 1)

p. 8 p. 9 TERTIUM ORGANUM p. 10 "I have called this system of higher logic Tertium Organum because for us it is the third canon —third instrument— of thought after those of Aristotle and Bacon. The first was Organon , the second, Novum Organum . But the third existed earlier than the first." TERTIUM ORGANUM ( page 262 ) p. 11 CHAPTER I What do we know and what do we not know? Our data, and the things for which we seek. The unknown mistaken for the known. Matter and motion. What does the positive philosophy come to? Identity of the unknown: x=y, y=x. What we really know. The existence of consciousness in us, and of the world outside us. Dualism or monism? Subjective and objective knowledge. Where do the causes of the sensations lie? Kant's system. Time and Space. Kant and the "ether." Mach's observation. With what does the physicist really deal? " Learn to discern the real from the false " THE VOICE OF THE SILENCE H. P. B. THE most difficult thing is to know what we do know, and what we do not know. Therefore, desiring to know anything, we shall before all else determine WHAT we accept as given , and WHAT as demanding definition and proof; that is, determine WHAT we know already, and WHAT we wish to know. In relation to the knowledge of the world and of ourselves, the conditions would be ideal could we venture to accept nothing as given, and count all as demanding definition and proof. In other words, it would be best to assume that we know nothing, and make this our point of departure. But unfortunately such conditions are impossible to create. Knowledge must start from some foundation, something must be recognized as known; otherwise we shall be obliged always to de-fine one unknown by means of another. Looking at the matter from another point of view, we shall hesitate to accept as the known things—as the given ones—those in the main completely unknown, only presupposed, and therefore the things sought for . Should we do this, we are likely to fall into such a dilemma as that in which positive philosophy now finds itself—and by positive philosophy I mean a general trend of thought p. 12 based on the data of those sciences which are now accepted as experimental and positive. This philosophy is founded on the existence of matter (materialism) or energy : that is, of a force, or motion , (energeticism); though in reality matter and motion were always the unknown x and y, and were defined by means of one another. It must be perfectly clear to everyone that it is impossible to accept the thing sought as the given ; and impossible to define one unknown by means of another. The result is nothing but the identity of the unknown: x=y, y=x. This identity of the unknown is the ultimate conclusion to which positive philosophy comes. Matter is that in which proceed the changes called motion: and motions are those changes which proceed in matter . _______ But what do we know? We know that with the very first awakening of knowledge, man is confronted with two obvious facts: The existence of the world in which he lives; and the existence of psychic life in himself . Neither of these can he prove or disprove, but they are facts : they constitute reality for him. It is possible to meditate upon the mutual correlation of these two facts. It is possible to try to reduce them to one; that is, to regard the psychic or inner world as a part, reflection, or function of the world, or the world as a part, reflection, or function of that inner world.