The most beautiful, the most pleasant, and the most necessary of all our knowledge is, undoubtedly, the knowledge of ourselves. Of all the human sciences, the science of man is the most worthy. Yet this science is neither the most cultivated nor the most complete that we possess; ordinary men neglect it altogether. Even among those who take pride in science, there are very few who apply themselves to this science, and there are still fewer who apply themselves to it with any success.
Nicolas Malebranche, The Search after Truth, Lennon & Olscamp, trs. (Cambridge: 1997) xxxix. 'Science' here is used more broadly than we tend to use it.
