Manea 1 Drago Manea Professor Sorana Corneanu The Republic of Letters 16 April 201 The Attain!

ent of "no#le$ge an$ the %a&igation S'epticis! in (acon) Pascal) an$ *lan&ill This essa+ en$ea&ours to briefl+ e,plore the #a+s in #hich the proble! of 'no#le$ge #as tac'le$ in the #or's of three earl+ !o$ern philosophers) -- .rancis (acon) (laise Pascal) an$ /oseph *lan&ille -- to contrast their $ifferent approaches) an$ to $iscuss the theological $i!ension of their un$erta'ings0 Starting fro! the pre!ise that all three thin'ers are in$ebte$ to the re&i&al of Ancient S'epticis! an$ of Augustinian postlapsarianis! that characteri1e$ the earl+ !o$ern age 2 a thing !ost clear in their criti3ue of scholastic $og!atis! 2 this essa+ #ill ne&ertheless atte!pt to pinpoint the !etho$s b+ #hich each of the! also atte!pte$ to transcen$) or at least to a&oi$) the pitfalls of P+rrhonian s'epticis!0 .rancis (acon) #riting in Novus Organum) ta'es to tas' the barrenness of scholastic philosoph+) its reliance on un3uestione$) recei&e$ opinion) an$ $e&ises a ne# !etho$ 2 #hat he calls the Interpretation of Nature 4cf0 256 2 of attaining episte!ological truth0 This ne# e!pirical approach to the proble! of 'no#le$ge prioriti1es the sense o&er the intellect as a !eans of reaching truth1 -- #hile at the sa!e ti!e proposing the e,peri!ent as a !eans of !itigating the sense7s o#n inherent fallibilit+ 4cf0 860 9ts goal is not !erel+ to !a'e sure that hu!an $isco&eries !atch up #ith hitherto agree$ upon first principles) but to $isco&er the principles the!sel&es) an$ to thus :ben$ nature to #or's; 42560 The in$ucti&e !etho$ he concei&es is !eant to curb i!petuous) presu!ptuous generali1ations an$ appeals to authorit+) an$ to :to e$uce a,io!s successi&el+ an$ step b+ step) an$ not to reach the !ost general ones until last; 4 160 The onl+ path to 'no#le$ge is b+ proper proce$ure an$ b+ the establish!ent of $egrees of certitu$e as prere3uisites for genuine episte!ological certaint+ 4cf0 <8620 The final goal of (acon7s natural philosoph+ see!s to be to attain 'no#le$ge of *o$ b+ stu$+ing
1

=hile both are li!ite$ an$ prone to error) the intellect 2 beset b+ Idols both e,trinsic 4the recei&e$

$og!as of schools an$ sects6 an$ intrinsic 4its o#n inherentl+ biase$ nature6 is e&en !ore so 4cf0 860 Still) because the intellect is necessar+ for the e!plo+!ent of the in$ucti&e !etho$) it !ust be purge$ as best as possible of these selfsa!e Idols 2 it is onl+ then that an :en$uring !arriage bet#een the e!pirical an$ rational faculties; 4216 !a+ be reache$0
2

(acon thus proposes a !i$$le path bet#een the i!!e$iate an$ certain 'no#le$ge of the scholastics

4$e$uce$ &ia $ialectics6 an$ the paral+1ing acatalepsy of the s'eptics 4cf0 8 60

Manea 2 his :footprints; in the !aterial #orl$ 4cf0 <86 2 a tas' for #hich the sense is #ell suite$ 4cf0 2 60 (acon $oes $ifferentiate bet#een natural 'no#le$ge 4#hich is attainable b+ !an an$ #as possesse$ b+ A$a! before the fall6 an$ !oral 'no#le$ge 4the 'no#le$ge of *o$) of goo$ an$ e&il) #hich A$a! sought to usurp in an act #hich constitute$ !an7s original sin60 The for!er is the $o!ain of charit+ an$ of #or'ing for the progress of all !an'in$) #hile the latter is but the progen+ of !an7s errant curiosit+0 Pascal !a'es a si!ilar $istinction bet#een curiosit+ an$ a$!iration) as he offers his !e$itation on !an caught bet#een the opposites of infinit+ an$ nothingness that $efine the natural #orl$ 4cf0856> it is in this state of e,istential trepi$ation that presu!ptuous curiosit+ is transfor!e$ into conte!plati&e a$!iration -- but !an is ne&ertheless incapable of trul+ un$erstan$ing creation) a thing attribute$ onl+ to *o$ hi!self 4cf0 6060 Li'e (acon) Pascal belie&es that !an in his prelapsarian con$ition possesse$ perfect 'no#le$ge) +et he is pessi!istic about the possibilit+ of re-attaining it &ia natural philosoph+0 %ature) accor$ing to Pascal) is unli!ite$ 2 infinite 2) an$ !an because of his li!ite$ 2 finite 2 $i!ension is incapable of trul+ un$erstan$ing it &ia the senses or &ia reason0 Man cannot e&en co!prehen$ the things proportional to hi!) for all things are interconnecte$ an$ to 'no# one) one !ust 'no# the #hole an$ thus the infinite0 A si!ilar i$ea occurre$ in (acon) #here the sense #as proportionate to !an an$ $isproportionate to the #orl$ 4cf0 6) but #here (acon offere$ e,peri!entation as #a+ of out of this conun$ru!) Pascal can onl+ offer sub!ission to#ar$s go$? :hear fro! +our Master +ou true con$ition @AB Listen to *o$0; 4 66 2 the onl+ constant truths are those of faith0 Pascal thus a$opts the s'eptical fi$eist perspecti&e? no certain 'no#le$ge of the #orl$ !a+ be gaine$ &ia either e!piricis! or rationalis!) but 'no#le$ge is ne&ertheless to be foun$ in !an7s spiritual $i!ension through the process of $i&ine illu!ination or) at the &er+ least) through !+stical e,perience0 *lan&ill offers a thir$ solution to the proble! of 'no#le$ge) one naturall+ in$ebte$ to his pre$ecessors) that of li!ite$ certaint+ an$ !itigate$ s'epticis!0 Cnli'e (acon) he fors#ears the possibilit+ of !an e&er attaining certain 'no#le$ge of the natural #orl$) but retains his pre$ecessor7s penchant for gra$ation) for the establish!ent of $egrees of certitu$e 4cf0 (acon <86 2 a penchant #hich in *lan&ill beco!es the search for :great li'el+hoo$; an$ :$egrees of probabilit+; 4<86) an en$point reache$) !uch as in (acon) &ia :e,peri!ents an$ in3uiries; 4<860 .or *lan&ill) a certain a!ount of s'epticis! is necessar+ as a $efense against $og!ati1ing) as a #a+ of proportioning :the $egree of Assent; to :the $egree of D&i$ence; 4<66 an$ thus putting to the test theories not properl+ thought out) though accepte$ as gi&en0 %e&ertheless) *lan&ill7s entire proEect goes against the full-fle$ge$ s'epticis! of so!eone

Manea li'e Pascal b+ positing :Fu!ane Certainit+; 4806 as genuinel+ achie&able0 Dra#ing on (acon an$ Descartes) he proposes) !uch li'e the for!er has $one al!ost a centur+ earlier) a !erger of the rational an$ the e!pirical faculties) though no# #ith reason ta'ing prece$ence0 =hile perfect certitu$e) #hat *lan&ill calls :infallible certaint+; is solel+ the $o!ain of go$ 4since #e can ne&er $iscount the possibilit+ of our faculties $ecei&ing us6) !an can still possess :in$ubitable certaint+; 2 certaint+ :of #hich there is no reason to $oubt;0 The Cartesian language of $oubt !a'es itself !anifest here an$ the reasoning soon follo#s? certain first principles e,ist in the !in$s of all !en) #hich are :the See$ of Reason) an$ all the Conclusions @AB that are trul+ $e$uc7$ fro! those first Certainties) are as true an$ certain as the+ are0; 4806 *lan&ill $oes grant the senses their part in the $isco&er+ of in$ubitable certainties) but places the! on a lo#er le&el) noting that the+ !ust al#a+s be :e,ercise$ about their right GbEects; an$ #ithin the re3uisite :Circu!stances; 4<56) lest the+ pro&e incapable of proper Eu$g!ent0 Gn the lo#est le&el) he chooses to place those certainties engen$ere$ b+ the testi!on+ of others) certainties that can onl+ be accepte$ once no reason for $eceit is foun$ 4cf0 <560 Gf the three frag!ents) *lan&ill7s pro&es the least o&ertl+ theological) +et his too is steepe$ in a #orl$&ie# #here #orl$l+ an$ $i&ine !atters are not easil+ $istinguishable? the e,istence of in$ubitable certaint+ see!s necessaril+ pre$icate$ on the e,istence of infallible certaint+ 2 on the belief that there is a co!plete) $i&ine certaint+ #hich hu!an beings can onl+ hope to appro,i!ate0 All three te,ts !a+) to so!e e,tent) be rea$ as responses to the s'eptical crisis in earl+ !o$ern thought0 =hile the+ $iffer in point of ho# the attain!ent of 'no#le$ge is un$erta'en) the+ are all pre$icate$ on the notion that certain 'no#le$ge $oes e,ist an$ is the pro&ince of go$0

Manea <

=or's Cite$ (acon) Sir .rancis0 Novum Organum0 G,for$? Claren$on Press0 PD.0 11-8H0 *lan&ill) /oseph :Gf Scepticis! an$ Certaint+;016H60 PD.0 5-810 Pascal) (laise0 Pensees. 9n$ianapolis? Fac'ett Publishing Co!pan+) 200<0 PD.0 <- I> 8I6<0