Encyclopedia of sacred theology - pagina 185

Chap. Ill]

And

§ 49.

TWO KINDS OF

SCIENCE

161

Every tendency that wants to mainmust at least give an the reason why, from this of point of intersection, it account and not in the other direction. moves in one And though nothing be accomplished by this, beyond the this

is

not right.

tain itself as a scientific tendency,

confession of the reason

why one

refuses to follow the ten-

dency of the other, even this is an infinite gain. On the one hand it prevents the self-sufficiency which avoids all investigation into the deepest grounds, and lives by the theory that "the Will stands in place of reason." Thus we feel ourselves bound, not only to continue our studies formally in a severely scientific way, but also to give ourselves an increasingly clear account of the good and virtuous right by which we maintain the position originally taken, and by which we formally labor as we do. And since among congenial spirits one is so ready to accept, as already well defined, what is still wanting in the construction, the two tendencies render this mutual service viz. that ;

they necessitate the continuance of the investigation into the very soil in which the foundation lies. But, on the otlier

hand

also, this j)ractice of

giving each other an account

at the point of intersection effects this

very great gain, that as scientists we do not simply walk independently side by side, but that we remain together in logical fellowship, and together pay our

homage

to the claim of science as such.

This prevents the useless plying of polemics touching points

which so readily gives rise to bitterness of feeland concentrates the heat of battle against those issues of our consciousness which determine the entire process of the life of science. However plainly and candidly we may speak thus of a twofold science, and however much we may be persuaded that the scientific investigation can be brought to a close in no single department by all scientists together, yea, cannot be confmued in concert, as soon as palingenesis makes a division between the investigators we are equally emphatic in our confession, which we do not make in spite of ourselves, but with gladness, that in almost every department there is some task that is common to all, and, what is of detail, ing,

;

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