Page:Ferrier Works vol 2 1888 LECTURES IN GREEK PHILOSOPHY.pdf/74

Rh two parties who divide the philosophical world. On the one hand, we have those whom I venture to regard as the true philosophers. They hold, first, that there is some principle or quality or faculty common to all intelligence; and, second, that in virtue of this common faculty man is competent, to some extent, to apprehend the truth as it exists for all intelligence; in other words, is competent to apprehend the absolute truth. And founding on these two postulates, they obtain such a definition of philosophy as that which I have given you—a definition which follows at once from these two postulates, namely, that philosophy is the pursuit of the absolute truth, or of the absolutely real; that is, of the true and real as they exist for all intellect. On the other hand, we have those whom I venture to regard as the opponents of true philosophy. They hold, first, that there is no principle or quality or faculty common to all intelligence; and, secondly, that in consequence of there being no such universal principle, man is not competent to apprehend the truth as it exists for all intelligence; in other words, is not competent to apprehend the absolute truth: and founding on these two postulates, they obtain the following as their definition of philosophy—Philosophy is the pursuit of mere relative truth, or of the relatively real; that is, of the true and real as they exist merely for man's intelligence.

22. You have now before you the two definitions