ndour, that it was Descartes who opened the way; he
who set an example to men of intelligence, of shaking off the yoke of
scholasticism, of opinion, of authority--in a word, of prejudices and
barbarism. Those who remain faithful to his hypothetical system, while
they abandon his method, may be the last of his partisans, but they
would assuredly never have been the first of his disciples.

By system the Encyclopaedists meant more or less coherent bodies of
frivolous conjecture. The true merit of the philosopher or the physicist
is described as being to have the spirit of system, yet never to
construct a system. The notion expressed in this sentence promises a
union of the advantages of an organic synthesis, with the advantages of
an open mind and unfettered inquiry. It would be ridiculous to think,
says D'Alembert, that there is nothing more to discover in anatomy,
because anatomists devote themselves to researches that may seem to be
of no use, and yet often prove to be full of use in their consequences.
Nor would it be less absurd to lay a ban on erudition, on the pretext
that our learned men often give themselves up to matters of trivial
import.

We are constantly struck in the Encyclopaedia by a genuine desire to
reach the best opinion by the only right way, the way of abundant,
many-sided, and liberal discussion. The article, for instance, on
_Fermes Generales_ contains an examination of the question whether it is
more expedient that the taxes of a nation should be gathered by farmers
of the revenue, or directly by the agents of the government acting on
its behalf and under its supervision. Montesquieu had argued strongly
in favour of a _Regie_, the second of these methods. The writer of the
article sets out the nine considerations by which Montesquieu had
endeavoured to establish his position, and then he offers on each of
them the strongest observations that occur to him in support of the
opposite conclusion. At the conclusion of the article, the editors of
the Encyclopaedia append the following note: "Our professed impartiality
and our desire to promote the discussion and clearing up of an important
question, have induced us to insert this article. As the Encyclopaedia
has for its principal aim the public advantage and instruction, we will
insert in the article, _Regie_, without taking any side, all such
reasons for and against, as people may he willing to submit to us,
provided they are stated with due sense an