Summary
Rule 1 states that whatever we study should direct our
minds to make “true and sound judgments” about experience. The various sciences
are not independent of one another but are all facets of “human
wisdom.” Possession of any kind of knowledge—if it is true—will
only lead to more knowledge. Rule 2 holds that we should only study
objects about which we can obtain “certain and evident cognition.”
It is better not to study at all than to attempt a study when we
can’t tell what’s right or wrong, true or false. All that is speculative
or probable should be rejected and knowledge should be defined as
what can be proven by reason beyond doubt. Rule 3 states that we
should study objects that we ourselves can clearly deduce and refrain
from conjecture and reliance on the work of others.
Rule 4 proposes that the mind requires a fixed method
to discover truth. A method is defined as a set
of reliable and simple rules. The goal of study through the method
is to attain knowledge of all things. The human mind begins life
in a pure state, and from the moment learning starts, the mind grows
clouded. The method’s purpose is to return the mind to that pure
state so that we can be certain of knowledge we attain.
Rule 5 holds that complicated problems should be reduced
to their simplest parts. We then apply our “intuition” to the simplest parts
and work our way back to the larger problem. According to Rule 6,
we must not only find the simplest parts of the whole problem but
also figure out how simple each nonsimple aspect of the problem
is compared to the most simple. The simplest, or “absolute,” things
are universal and cannot be broken down into simpler parts. Nonsimple,
or “relative,” aspects of any problem share some qualities of the
absolute parts and can be deduced from examination of the absolute
parts.
Rule 7 demands that no steps be skipped in the examination
of chains of relationships between simple and nonsimple aspects
of a problem. After we have gone over the chain of relationships
enough times, we will be able to see (without deducing) how each
step relates to all of the others. Rule 8 calls for avoiding complexity
to prevent confusion. Just as a blacksmith cannot forge a sword
without first having tools, we cannot grasp truth without a method
for attaining it. The method is a set of tools for learning, not
a trick for leaping to complicated conclusions. Anyone who masters
the method will either be able to come to the truth or be able to
demonstrate that what he wants to know is beyond the grasp of human knowledge.
Rule 9 calls for focus on a problem’s simplest elements.
If we concentrate on these simple elements, we’ll eventually be
able to intuit their simple truths. Rule 10 states that the previous
discoveries of others should be subjected to investigation. It is
best for an individual to discover the truth by his own methods
rather than accepting the arguments of others. Not all minds are
made for this, however. Therefore, the hardest problems should not
be tackled first. Instead, students of the method should immerse
themselves in simple, well-ordered tasks, such as embroidery, weaving,
number games, and arithmetic. These activities train our minds to
order, and human discernment is based almost entirely on the observance
of order.
Rule 11 recommends that if a chain of simple intuitions
leads us to deduce something else, we should subject this deduction
to further scrutiny, reflecting on how each part is related to the
others. If we think of the chain often enough as we run through
our series of deductions, we will eventually be able to conceive
of all aspects of a problem at once, thereby increasing our mental
abilities.
