an artistic combination, but in order to give certainty
to propositions, which have not certainty in
themselves. And thus the systematic form is not
the object of science, but an accidence, a means,
and on the condition that the science is to have a
manifold of propositions. It is not the essence of
science, but an accidental quality thereof.
Let science be a building, and let the chief object of this building be firmness. The foundation is firm, and as soon as it is laid down, the object would therefore be attained. But since you can not live on the foundation, nor protect yourself by its means against the arbitrary attacks of enemies, or the unarbitrary attacks of the weather, you proceed to erect walls, and over the walls you build a roof All the parts of the building you connect with the foundation and with each other, and thus the whole gets firmness. But you do not build a building in order to connect the parts; rather you connect the parts in order to make the building firm; and it is firm in so far as all its parts rest upon a firm foundation.
The foundation is firm, for it is not built on an- other foundation, but rests on the solid earth. But whereupon shall we erect the foundation of our scientific structure? The fundamental principles of our systems must and shall be certain in advance of the system. Their certainty can not be proven within the system; but every possible proof in the system presupposes already their certainty. If they are certain, then of course all their results
