Philosophy of Young Men

Philosophy of Young Men

The work critiques the intellectual landscape of contemporary young men, contrasting it with the author's own experiences. It observes a lack of firm convictions among the youth, who seem adrift in a sea of facts and personal experiences without a guiding framework. The author recounts a conversation with a young man who espouses the idea that facts generate principles. The author challenges this notion, arguing that a principle of selection is necessary to discern which facts are relevant, implying that without prior guiding principles, one cannot meaningfully engage with facts. The dialogue highlights the tension between induction and deduction, with the author asserting that the young man's understanding of Bacon's method is flawed. The author emphasizes the necessity of a foundational aim or principle to make sense of facts, suggesting that the process of reasoning cannot be purely empirical. The critique extends to the broader philosophical implications of this mindset, suggesting that a lack of coherent principles leads to confusion and inconsistency in thought. The work ultimately calls for a return to a more principled approach to philosophy and understanding, advocating for the importance of having a guiding light to navigate the complexities of knowledge and experience. It underscores the need for young men to cultivate distinct convictions and engage deeply with philosophical principles to avoid the pitfalls of relativism and confusion.

By Samuel Taylor Coleridge · First published 1817 · Genre: Philosophy, Essay, Critique · 513 words

First lines

I do not know whether I deceive myself, but it seems to me that the young men, who were my contemporaries, fixed certain principles in their minds, and followed them out to their legitimate consequences, in a way which I rarely witness now. No one seems to have any distinct convictions, right or wrong; the mind is completely at sea, rolling and pitching on the waves of facts and personal experiences. Mr. -- -- is, I suppose, one of the rising young men of the day; yet he went on talking, the other evening, and making remarks with great earnestness, some of which were palpably irreconcilable with each other. He told me that facts gave birth to, and were the absolute ground of, principles; to which I said, that unless he had a principle of selection, he would not have taken notice of those facts upon which he grounded his principle. You must have a lantern in your hand to give light, otherwise all the materials in the world are useless, for you cannot find them; and if you could, you could not arrange them. "But then," said Mr. -- -- , "_that_ principle of selection came from facts! " -- "To be sure! " I replied; "but there must have been again an antecedent light to see those antecedent facts. The relapse may be carried in imagination backwards for ever, -- but go back as you may, you cannot come to a man without a previous aim or principle. " He then asked me what I had to say to Bacon's induction: I told him I had a good deal to say, if need were; but that it was perhaps enough for the occasion to remark, that what he was evidently taking for the Baconian _in_duction was mere _de_duction -- a very different thing.[1]

What this Textopian page supports

Philosophy of Young Men is listed on Textopian as an essay by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, dated 1817 CE.

This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.

Good citation fit

Discussion starters

Similar titles

Genres

Tags

philosophy · young men · principles · convictions · facts · personal experiences · induction · deduction · reasoning · light · selection · aim

More by Samuel Taylor Coleridge