James Frederick Ferrier

“ There is, first, an ignorance which is incident to some minds as compared with others, but not necessarily incident to all minds. Such ignorance is a defect, an imperfection. A Hottentot is ignorant of geometry; a Frenchman knows it. This kind of ignorance is ignorance. But, secondly, there is an ignorance or nescience which is of necessity incident to all intelligence by its very nature, and which is no defect, or imperfection, or limitation, but rather a perfection. ”

“ Now for a glimpse of the ontology. No ontology was possible so long as our ignorance of matter per se was admitted. Because in answer to the question, What is real and absolute Being? one man might say, It is that which we know; it is object-plus-subject; it is the universe-mecum. But another man might answer, It is that which we are ignorant of. In which case it would be quite possible for real and absolute Being to be matter per se, this being what, in our present supposition, we are ignorant of ”

“ It goes so far beyond what I am entitled to on account of my actual performances, and at the same time touches with such nice discrimination on the points in which I have endeavoured to excel, that I scarcely know whether I ought to despair of ever justifying such glowing commendations, and of approximating so high a standard, or whether I ought to accept them as a cheering stimulus to further exertions, and as an augury of metaphysical victories which I may perhaps yet live to achieve. ”