structions by means of the vagueness and obscurity
of their thought, he goes on to say:

These mystical minds--which will always exist
--will always continue to try to realize and sys-
tematize their aspirations and their dreams in
transcendent constructions, ever new, ever differ-
ent, ever vain; pale reflections of the great systems
of the past, the last gleams of a great human illu-
sion that has vanished. And these metaphysical
speculations, old and new, will in their entirety
constitute a great epic handing down to posterity
the exploits of the tragic revolt, worthy of Pro-
metheus, which the infinitely small microcosm has
dared and will dare again to attempt against the
infinitely great macrocosm. ¹

He contrasts with this "metaphysical,"' theo-
logical and "mystical" reasoning the intellectual
work of the positivist and scientist who goes to
experience for the truth and whose thinking con-
sists altogether of experimentation; who discovers
the truth partly by actually carrying out experi-
ments on nature by physical manipulation, but
even more by combining in imagination innumer-
able physical experiments that can only be com-
bined in such great numbers by imagination and
thus be made to reveal new facts otherwise never
to be discovered. This classification, multiplica-
tion, and unique combination of experimental oper-
ations in thought by means of concepts is the great-
est achievement of the intellect, the only means by
which truth can be brought to light, and the only

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