Introduction

I. NAME

The name Criteriology is derived from two Greek words—kriterion, “a standard or means of judging,” and logos, “word; thought; science.” Thus Criteriology is “the science of the means of judging.” The thing to be judged is, in this instance, the truth and certitude of human knowledge.

Criteriology studies the criteria (that is, the norms and tests) by which one may judge what is true and certain in human thinking, in reasoning, in knowledge.

Sometimes Criteriology is called Epistemology, a name which is derived from the Greek words episteme, “knowledge,” and logos, “science.” By virtue of its name, Epistemology, “the science of knowledge,” is broader in scope than Criteriology, “the science of true and certain knowledge.” But a common usage makes the names Criteriology and Epistemology practically synonymous.

Other names by which this science is known are the following: Major Logic, Material Logic, Critical Logic, Applied Logic, Critics, Critical Philosophy, Noetics, First Principles of Knowledge.

2. DEFINITION

Criteriology is the science of true and certain knowledge.

a) Criteriology is a science. A science is a body of related doctrines, systematically arranged and reasonably complete, together with the reasons which evidence and justify each essential point of doctrine.

Criteriology meets the requirements of this definition, and is, therefore, a science. For Criteriology is a reasonably complete and systematically arranged body of doctrines relating to the truth and certitude of human knowledge, and it presents reasons at each step of its development to justify and evidence its conclusions.—A science is called speculative (or doctrinal, or theoretical) when it aims chiefly at the enlightenment of mind and the enrichment of culture. A science is called practical (or normative, or directive) when it aims chiefly at the instruction of the mind in something to be done, when it aims at action. Criteriology is a speculative science. No science, however, can be purely speculative; the most speculative of sciences has inevitably some effect upon the practical view of him who learns it, and upon his decisions, actions, conduct. Criteriology has a practical aspect inasmuch as it furnishes norms and tests by which truth and certitude may be actually recognized and evaluated. Since, however, its chief function is speculative, it is numbered with the speculative sciences.

b) Criteriology is a science of knowledge, and, more specifically, of human knowledge. The highest and noblest human knowledge is that of the mind or intellect. But Criteriology must also study that fundamental knowledge which is acquired by means of the senses. If there were no sense-knowledge, there could be no human intellectual knowledge. The intellect (mind, or understanding) has the power of piercing through sense-representation to grasp essential reality and thus to form the idea which is elemental in intellectual knowledge. But the senserepresentation must be there, or the mind cannot pierce through its material and individual character to grasp the essence which it clothes. Even when the mind forms ideas of things that lie beyond the grasp of the senses—things such as being, goodness, truth, spirit—the service of sense is nevertheless prerequisite; for the mind works out ideas of these things from other ideas that were formed directly from sense-findings. Hence the ancient saying, “There is nothing in the mind that is not, in some manner, based upon sense-knowledge.” Criteriology must, therefore, deal with the knowledge of the senses as something fundamentally involved in intellectual knowledge.

c) Criteriology is the science of true and certain knowledge. Criteriology is not the only science of knowledge. Psychology deals with the nature of the knowing faculties, and, indirectly, with knowledge itself. Dialectics (or Formal Logic) deals with the correctness and consistency of knowledge. But Criteriology deals with the truth and certitude of knowledge. Of course, Criteriology must investigate the nature of the knowing faculties after the manner of psychology, but in a rather summary way, and only in so far as this is requisite for the proper grasp of criteriological doctrine. Criteriology does not concern itself directly with the correctness and consistency of the knowing-process; it presupposes correctness, and applies itself to the question of truth and certainty in human knowledge. It defines truth and certitude; it asks whether truth be knowable as such and with certainty; it seeks the ultimate criterion of truth and certitude; it traces out and studies the fonts or sources of certitude.

3. OBJECT

Every science does two things. First, it treats of a certain subject-matter. Secondly, it treats of its subject-matter in a certain way and with a special and definite aim. Now the subject-matter of a science, the field in which the science works, is called the Material Object of the science. And the special thing for which the science seeks in that field, that is to say, the special aim, end-in-view, point-of-focus that the science has in dealing with its subject-matter, is called the Formal Object of the science. To illustrate : geology and geography have the same subjectmatter or Material Object, viz., the earth. But geology and geography do not study the earth in the same way. The two sciences are in the same field, but not for the same purpose. Geology studies the earth to know its rock structure. Geography studies the earth to know its surface divisions and contours.

For this reason we say that geology and geography, while dealing with the same Material Object, have different Formal Objects. Thus two or more sciences may have the same Material Object; for there may be many ways of studying the same subject-matter, many different special interests in the same general field. But no two sciences can have the same Formal Object in every way; if sciences could have the same precise Formal Objects, they would be identical; they would be one, and not several. Hence the saying, “Sciences are ultimately distinguished one from another by their respective Formal Objects.” The Material Object of Criteriology is the same as that of Dialectics or Formal Logic, viz., the acts of the mind, that is, the acts of the knowing-process.

But while Dialectics studies these acts with the view of maintaining correctness and consistency in them, Criteriology studies them with the view of knowing how truth and certitude may be obtained by them.

Thus Dialectics and Criteriology have the same Material Object; but each has its own proper Formal Object Our definition of Criteriology expresses both the Material and the Formal Object of the science. We indicate the Material Object of Criteriology by the words “science -of knowledge ” for knowledge is achieved by acts of the mind> and these are, as we have seen, the Material Object with which Criteriology deals. We indicate the Formal Object of our science by calling Criteriology “the science of true and certain knowledge.”

4. IMPORTANCE

Criteriology is the scientific study of the validity of thought; it is an investigation of the worth of knowledge. The importance of such a study needs no stressing. It is surely important to know whether the mind can know truth with certitude and accurately distinguish truth from falsity. If the mind could not do this, then all study would be useless, all science fantastic fiction, all learned discussion much ado about nothing, all desire to know truth futile and illusory, amounting to a heartless prank perpetrated upon helpless humanity by Nature itself.

Therefore, the study which investigates the power and capacity of the mind for truth is a most important study. Its importance is fundamental. So important, indeed is Criteriology that it merits the noble title of “First Principles of Knowledge.” The science of Criteriology has an importance peculiar to the present moment. The modern materialistic view of life and mind, combined as it is with an all-embracing theory of evolutionary progress, takes away the solid bases of certitude, makes knowledge illusory, and reasoning futile. There is current in our day the doctrine that truth is relative, changing, evolving, moving on like a flowing stream, no point of which is the same for two moments together. There is current the agnostic theory of unknowable truth; the Cartesian theory of universal doubt as the best man can achieve in his quest for the basis of knowledge; the skeptical theory of nescience and intellectual void. Criteriology evidences the principles which show the absurdity of such theories. It enables the student to silence foolish theorists by indicating the self-contradictory character of their doctrines. Criteriology thus renders a notable service, and its study is consequently of great importance.

The importance of Criteriology is practical as well as speculative or theoretical. Its service to the student, just noted, is an evidence of this fact. Further : if truth and certitude be not shown as attainable (and Criteriology shows them to be attainable), then there are no certainly known duties, no certain obligations, no certain and definite laws. In a word, if there be no certain knowledge, there is no certain morality. And without morality, all human institutions must perish. Thus, in establishing the existence, nature, and criteria of truth and certitude, Criteriology shows itself a science of supremely practical importance, even though in itself it is properly a speculative science.

5. DIVISION

The definition of Criteriology indicates the topics to be discussed in this treatise. In studying “the science of true and certain knowledge” we discuss the subjects of Knowledge, Truth, and Certitude. We therefore develop our treatise according to the following plan:

Book First

Knowledge
Chap. I. Knowledge in General Chap. II. Sense-Knowledge
Chap. III. Intellectual Knowledge Book Second

Truth
Chap. I. The Nature of Truth
Chap. II. States of Mind with Reference to Truth Chap. III. The Criterion of Truth

Book Third

Certitude
Chap. I. The Nature of Certitude
Chap. II. The Existence of Certitude
Chap. III. The Certitude of Sense-Knowledge
Chap. IV. The Certitude of Intellectual Knowledge
Chap. V. The Certitude of Faith To these divisions we add an Appendix, in which we make a brief study of the proper procedure (method) to be followed in acquiring reasoned certitude (science). In a word, we study Science and Method.