For The Things Of This

Neglect Of Mathematics Work Injury To All Knowledge, Since He Who Is Ignorant Of It Cannot Know The Other Sciences Or Things Of This World. And What Is Worst, Those Who Are Thus Ignorant Are Unable To Perceive Their Own Ignorance, And So Do Not Seek A Remedy.

There Are Two Modes Of Knowledge: Through Argument And Through Experience. Argument Brings Conclusions And Compels Us To Concede Them, But It Does Not Cause Certainty Nor Remove Doubts That The Mind May Rest In Truth, Unless This Is Provided By Experience.

As Regards Authority I So Proceed. Boetius Says In The Second Prologue To His Arithmetic, 'if An Inquirer Lacks The Four Parts Of Mathematics, He Has Very Little Ability To Discover Truth.' And Again, 'without This Theory No One Can Have A Correct Insight Into Truth.' And He Says Also, 'i Warn The Man Who Spurns These Paths Of Knowledge That He Cannot Philosophize Correctly.' And Again, 'it Is Clear That Whosoever Passes These By, Has Lost The Knowledge Of All Learning.'

No One Really Knew The Sciences Except The Lord Robert, Bishop Of Lincoln, By Reason Of His Length Of Life And Experience, As Well As Of His Studiousness And Zeal. He Knew Mathematics And Perspective, And There Was Nothing Which He Was Unable To Know; And At The Same Time He Was Sufficiently Acquainted With Languages To Be Able To Understand The Saints And The Philosophers And The Wise Men Of Antiquity But His Knowledge Of Languages Was Not Such As To Enable Him To Effect Translations Until The Latter Portion Of His Life.

A Little Learning Is A Dangerous Thing But None At All Is Fatal.