第15章
加入书架 A- A+
点击下载App,搜索"First Principles",免费读到尾

  Ourunitsoflinearextensionarethelengthsofmassesofmatterorthe

  spacesbetweenmarksmadeonthemasses,andweassumetheselengths,or

  thesespacesbetweenmarks,toremainunchangedwhilethetemperatureis

  unchanged。Fromthestandard—measurepreservedatWestminster,arederived

  themeasuresfortrigonometricalsurveys,forgeodesy,themeasurementof

  terrestrialarcs,andthecalculationsofastronomicaldistances,dimensions,

  etc。,andthereforeforAstronomyatlarge。Weretheseunitsoflength,original

  andderived,irregularlyvariable,therecouldbenocelestialdynamics,

  noranyofthatverificationyieldedbyitoftheconstancyofthecelestial

  massesandoftheirenergies。Hence,persistenceofthespace—occupyingspecies

  offorcecannotbeproved,forthereasonthatitistacitlyassumedinevery

  experimentorobservationbywhichitisproposedtoproveit。Thelikeholds

  oftheforcedistinguishedasenergy。Theendeavourtoestablishthisby

  measurement,takesforgrantedboththepersistenceoftheintrinsicforce

  bywhichbodymanifestsitselfasexisting,andthepersistenceoftheextrinsic

  forcebywhichbodyacts。Foritisfromtheseequalunitsoflinearextension,

  throughthemediumoftheequal—armedleverorscales,thatwederiveour

  equalunitsofweight,orgravitativeforce;andonlybymeansofthesecan

  wemakethosequantitativecomparisonsbywhichthetruthsofexactscience

  arereached。Throughouttheinvestigationsleadingthechemisttotheconclusion

  thatofthecarbonwhichhasdisappearedduringcombustion,noportionhas

  beenlost,whatishisrepeatedly—assignedproof?Thataffordedbythescales。

  Inwhattermsistheverdictofthescalesgiven?Ingrammes——inunits

  ofweight——inunitsofgravitativeforce。Andwhatisthetotalcontent

  oftheverdict?Thatasmanyunitsofgravitativeforceasthecarbonexhibited

  atfirst,itexhibitsstill。Thevalidityoftheinference,then,depends

  entirelyupontheconstancyoftheunitsofforce。Iftheforcewithwhich

  theportionofmetalcalledagramme—weighttendstowardstheEarth,has

  varied,theinferencethatmatterisindestructibleisvicious。Everything

  turnsonthetruthoftheassumptionthatthegravitationoftheweights

  ispersistent;andofthisnoproofisassigned,orcanbeassigned。Inthe

  reasoningsoftheastronomerthereisalikeimplication,fromwhichwemay

  drawthelikeconclusion。Noproblemincelestialdynamicscanbesolved

  withouttheassumptionofsomeunitofforce。Thisunitneednotbe,like

  apoundoraton,oneofwhichwecantakedirectcognizance。Itisrequisite

  onlythatthemutualattractionwhichsometwoofthebodiesconcernedexercise

  atagivendistance,shallbetakenasone;sothattheotherattractions

  withwhichtheproblemdeals,maybeexpressedintermsofthisone。Such

  unitbeingassumed,themotionswhichtherespectivemasseswillgenerate

  inoneanotherinagiventime,arecalculated;andcompoundingthesewith

  themotionstheyalreadyhave,theirplacesattheendofthattimearepredicted。

  Thepredictionisverifiedbyobservation。Fromthis,eitheroftwoinferences

  maybedrawn。Assumingthemassestobeunchanged,theirenergiesmaybe

  provedundiminished;orassumingtheirenergiesundiminished,themasses

  maybeprovedunchanged。Butthevalidityofoneorotherinferencedepends

  whollyonthetruthoftheassumptionthattheunitofforceisunchanged。

  Letitbesupposedthatthegravitationofthetwobodiestowardseachother

  atthegivendistancehasvaried,andtheconclusionsdrawnarenolonger

  true。Norisitonlyintheirconcretedatathatthereasoningsofterrestrial

  andcelestialphysicsassumethePersistenceofForce。Theequalityofaction

  andreactionistakenforgrantedfrombeginningtoendofeitherargument;

  andtoassertthatactionandreactionareequalandopposite,istoassert

  thatForcepersists。Theimplicationisthattherecannotbeanisolated

  force,butthatanyforcemanifestedimpliesanequalantecedentforcefromwhichitisderived,andagainstwhichitisareaction。Wemightindeedbecertain,evenintheabsenceofanysuchanalysisas

  theforegoing,thattheremustexistsomeprinciplewhich,asbeingthebasis

  ofscience,cannotbeestablishedbyscience。Allreasoned—outconclusions

  whatevermustrestonsomepostulate。Asbeforeshown(§23),wecannot

  goonmergingderivativetruthsinthosewidertruthsfromwhichtheyare

  derived,withoutreachingatlastawidesttruthwhichcanbemergedinno

  other,orderivedfromnoother。Andtherelationinwhichitstandstothe

  truthsofscienceingeneral,showsthatthistruthtranscendingdemonstration

  isthePersistenceofForce。Tothisanultimateanalysisbringsusdown,andonthisarationalsynthesismustbuildup。§62。Butnowwhatistheforceofwhichwepredicatepersistence?

  Thatwhichthewordordinarilystandsforistheconsciousnessofmuscular

  tension——thefeelingofeffortwhichwehaveeitherwhenputtingsomethinginmotionorwhenresistingapressure。Thisfeeling,however,isbutasymbol。In§18itwassaidthatthough,sinceactionandreactionareequal

  andopposite,weareobligedtothinkofthedownwardpullofaweightas

  equaltotheupwardpullwhichsupportsit,andthoughthethoughtofequality

  suggestskinshipofnature,yet,aswecannotascribefeelingtotheweight,

  weareobligedtoadmitthatForceasitexistsbeyondconsciousnesshas

  nolikenesstoforceasweconceiveit,thoughthereisbetweenthemthe

  kindofequivalenceimpliedbysimultaneousvariation。Theeffortofone

  whothrowsacricketballisfollowedbythemotionoftheballthroughspace,

  anditsmomentumisre—transformedintomuscularstraininonewhocatches

  it。Whattheforcewaswhenitexistedintheflyingcricketballitisimpossible

  toimagine:wehavenotermsofthoughtinwhichtorepresentit。Andit

  isthuswithallthetransformationsofenergytakingplaceintheworld

  around。Thoseillustrationsgivenin§66,showingthechangesofform

  whichenergyundergoesandtheequivalencebetweensomuchofitinoneform

  andsomuchinanother,failtoenlightenusrespectingtheenergyitself。

  Itassumesunderthisorthatsetofconditionsthisorthatshape,andthe

  quantityofitisnotalteredduringitstransformations。Forthatinterpretation

  ofthingswhichisalonepossibleforusthisisallwerequiretoknow——

  thattheforceorenergymanifested,nowinonewaynowinanother,persists

  orremainsunchangedinamount。Butwhenweaskwhatthisenergyis,there

  isnoanswersavethatitisthenoumenalcauseimpliedbythephenomenaleffect。HencetheforceofwhichweassertpersistenceisthatAbsoluteForce

  weareobligedtopostulateasthenecessarycorrelateoftheforceweare

  consciousof。BythePersistenceofForce,wereallymeanthepersistence

  ofsomeCausewhichtranscendsourknowledgeandconception。InassertingitweassertanUnconditionedReality,withoutbeginningorend。Thus,quiteunexpectedly,wecomedownoncemoretothatultimatetruth

  inwhich,aswesaw,ReligionandSciencecoalesce——thecontinuedexistence

  ofanUnknowableasthenecessarycorrelativeoftheKnowable。

  Chapter7ThePersistenceofRelationAmongForces§63。Thefirstdeductiontobedrawnfromtheultimateuniversal

  truththatforcepersists,isthattherelationsamongforcespersist。Supposing

  agivenmanifestationofforce,underagivenformandgivenconditions,

  beeitherprecededbyorsucceededbysomeothermanifestation,itmust,

  inallcaseswheretheformandconditionsarethesame,beprecededbyor

  succeededbysuchothermanifestation。EveryantecedentmodeoftheUnknowable

  musthaveaninvariableconnexion,quantitativeandqualitative,withthatmodeoftheUnknowablewhichwecallitsconsequent。Fortosayotherwiseistodenythepersistenceofforce。Ifinanytwo

  casesthereisexactlikenessnotonlybetweenthoseconspicuousantecedents

  whichwecallthecauses,butalsobetweenthoseaccompanyingantecedents

  whichwecalltheconditions,wecannotaffirmthattheeffectswilldiffer,

  withoutaffirmingeitherthatsomeforcehascomeintoexistenceorthat

  someforcehasceasedtoexist。Iftheco—operativeforcesintheonecase

  areequaltothoseintheother,eachtoeach,indistributionandamount;

  thenitisimpossibletoconceivetheproductoftheirjointactioninthe

  onecaseasunlikethatintheother;withoutconceivingoneormoreofthe

  forcestohaveincreasedordiminishedinquantity;andthisisconceivingthatforceisnotpersistent。Toimpressthetruththusenunciatedunderitsmostabstractform,someillustrationswillbedesirable。§64。Lettwobullets,equalinweightsandshapes,beprojectedwith

  equalenergies;then,inequaltimes,equaldistancesmustbetravelledby

  them。Theassertionthatoneofthemwilldescribeanassignedspacesooner

  thantheother,thoughtheirinitialmomentawerealikeandtheyhavebeen

  equallyresisted(foriftheyareunequallyresistedtheantecedentsdiffer)

  isanassertionthatequalquantitiesofforcehavenotdoneequalamounts

  ofwork;andthiscannotbethoughtwithoutthinkingthatsomeforcehas

  disappearedintonothingorarisenoutofnothing。Assume,furtherthatduring

  itsnightoneofthemhasbeendrawnbytheEarthacertainnumberofinches

  outofitsoriginallineofmovement;thentheother,whichhasmovedthe

  samedistanceinthesametime,musthavefallenjustasfartowardsthe

  Earth。Nootherresultcanbeimaginedwithoutimaginingthatequalattractions

  actingforequaltimes,haveproducedunequaleffects;whichinvolvesthe

  inconceivablepropositionthatsomeactionhasbeencreatedorannihilated。

  Again,oneofthebulletshavingpenetratedthetargettoacertaindepth,

  penetrationbytheotherbullettoasmallerdepth,unlesscausedbygreater

  localdensityinthetarget,cannotbementallyrepresented。Suchamodification

  oftheconsequentswithoutmodificationoftheantecedents,isthinkable

  onlythroughtheimpossiblethoughtthatsomethinghasbecomenothingornothinghasbecomesomething。Itisthusnotwithsequencesonly,butalsowithsimultaneouschanges

  andpermanentco—existences。Givenchargesofpowderalikeinquantityand

  quality,firedfrombarrelsofthesamestructure,andpropellingbullets

  ofequalweights,sizes,andforms,similarlyrammeddown;*anditisanecessary

  inferencethattheconcomitantactionswhichmakeuptheexplosion,will

  beartooneanotherlikerelationsofquantityandqualityinthetwocases。

  Theproportionsamongthedifferentproductsofcombustionwillbeequal。

  Theseveralamountsofenergytakenupingivingmomentumtothebullet,

  heattothegases,andsoundontheirescape,willpreservethesameratios。

  Thequantitiesoflightandsmokeintheonecasewillbewhattheyarein

  theother;andthetworecoilswillbealike。Fornodifference,ofrelation

  amongtheseconcurrentphenomenacanbeimaginedasarising,withoutimaginingitasarisingbythecreationorannihilationofenergy。Thatwhichholdsbetweenthesetwocasesmustholdamonganynumberof

  cases;andthatwhichhereholdsbetweencomparativelysimpleantecedents

  andconsequents,mustholdhoweverinvolvedtheantecedentsbecomeandhoweverinvolvedtheconsequentsbecome。§65。ThusUniformityofLaw,resolvableaswefinditintothepersistence

  ofrelationsamongforces,isacorollaryfromthepersistenceofforce。

  Thegeneralconclusionthatthereexistconstantconnexionsamongphenomena,

  ordinarilyregardedasaninductiveconclusiononly,isreallyaconclusiondeduciblefromtheultimatedatumofconsciousness。Morethanthismaybesaid。Everyapparentinductiveproofoftheuniformity

  oflawitselftakesforgrantedboththepersistenceofforceandthepersistence

  ofrelationsamongforces。Forintheexactsciences,inwhichalonewemay

  seekrelationsdefiniteenoughtoproveuniformity,anyallegeddemonstration

  mustdependonmeasurement;andaswehavealreadyseen,measurement,whether

  ofmatterorforce,assumesthatbotharepersistentinassumingthatthe

  measureshavenotvaried。Whileatthesametimeeverydeterminationofthe

  relationsamongthem——inamount,proportion,direction,orwhatnot——

  similarlyimpliesmeasurement,thevalidityofwhichasbeforeimpliesthepersistenceofforce。Thatuniformityoflawthusfollowsinevitablyfromthepersistenceof

  force,willbecomemoreandmoreclearasweadvance。Thenextchapterwill

  indirectlysupplyabundantfrustrationsofit。

  Chapter8TheTransformationandEquivalenceofForces§66。When,totheunaidedsenses,Sciencebegantoaddsupplementary

  sensesintheshapeofmeasuringinstruments,menbegantoperceivevarious

  phenomenawhicheyesandfingerscouldnotdistinguish。Ofknownformsof

  force,minutermanifestationsbecameappreciable;andformsofforcebefore

  unknownwererenderedcognizableandmeasurable。Whereforceshadapparently

  endedinnothing,andhadbeencarelesslysupposedtohaveactuallydone

  so,instrumentalobservationprovedthateffectshadineveryinstancebeen

  produced:theforceshavingreappearedinnewshapes。Herehasatlength

  arisentheinquirywhethertheforcedisplayedineachsurroundingchange,

  doesnotintheactofexpenditureundergometamorphosisintoanequivalent

  amountofsomeotherforceorforces。Andtothisinquiryexperimentisgiving

  anaffirmativeanswer,whichbecomesdailymoredecisive。Séguin,

  Mayer,Joule,Grove,andHelmholtz,aremorethanotherstobecreditedwith

  theenunciationofthisdoctrine。Letusglanceattheevidenceonwhichitrests。Motion,whereverwecandirectlytraceitsgenesis,wefindhadpre—existed

  assomeothermodeofforce。Ourownvoluntaryactshavealwayscertainsensations

  ofmusculartensionastheirantecedents。When,asinlettingfallarelaxed

  limbweareconsciousofabodilymovementrequiringnoeffort,theexplanation

  isthattheeffortwasexertedinraisingthelimbtothepositionwhence

  itfell。Inthiscase,asinthecaseofaninanimatebodydescendingto

  theEarth,theforceaccumulatedbythedownwardmotionisequaltotheforce

  previouslyexpendedintheactofelevation。Conversely,Motionthatisarrested

  produces,underdifferentcircumstances,heat,electricity,magnetism,light。

  Fromthewarmingofthehandsbyrubbingthemtogether,uptotheignition

  ofarailway—brakebyintensefriction——fromthelightingofdetonating

  powderbypercussion,uptothesettingonfireablockofwoodbyafew

  blowsfromasteam—hammer;wehaveabundantinstancesinwhichheatarises

  asMotionceases。Itisuniformlyfoundthattheheatgeneratedisgreat

  inproportionastheMotionlostisgreat;andthattodiminishthearrest

  ofmotionbydiminishingthefriction,istodiminishthequantityofheat

  evolved。TheproductionofelectricitybyMotionisillustratedequallyin

  theboy\'sexperimentwithrubbedsealing—wax,inthecommonelectricalmachine,

  andintheapparatusforexcitingelectricitybytheescapeofsteam。Wherever

  thereisfrictionbetweenheterogeneousbodieselectricaldisturbanceis

  oneoftheconsequences。MagnetismmayresultfromMotioneitherimmediately,

  asthroughpercussiononsteel,ormediatelyasthroughelectriccurrents

  previouslygeneratedbyMotion。Andsimilarly,Motionmaycreatelight;either

  directly,asintheminuteincandescentfragmentsstruckoffbyviolentcollisions,

  orindirectly,asthroughtheelectricspark。\"Lastly,Motionmaybe

  againreproducedbytheforceswhichhaveemanatedfromMotion;thus,the

  divergenceoftheelectrometer,therevolutionoftheelectricalwheel,the

  deflectionofthemagneticneedle,are,whenresultingfromfrictionalelectricity

  palpablemovementsreproducedbytheintermediatemodesofforce,whichhavethemselvesbeenoriginatedbymotion。\"ThatmodeofforcewhichwedistinguishedasHeat,isnowregardedas

  molecularmotion——notmotionasdisplayedinthechangedrelationsofsensible

  massestooneanother,butasassessedbytheunitsofwhichsuchsensible

  massesconsist。Omittingcasesinwhichthereisstructuralrearrangement

  ofthemolecules,heatedbodiesexpand;andexpansionisinterpretedasdue

  tomovementsofthemoleculesinrelationtooneanother:wideroscillations。

  Thatradiationthroughwhichanythingofhighertemperaturethanthingsaround

  it,communicatesHeattothem,isclearlyaspeciesofmotion。Moreover,

  theevidenceaffordedbythethermometerthatHeatthusdiffusesitself,

  issimplyamovementcausedinthemercurialcolumn。Andthatthemolecular

  motionwhichwecallHeat,maybetransformedintovisiblemotion,familiar

  proofisgivenbythesteam—engine;inwhich\"thepistonandallits

  concomitantmassesofmatteraremovedbythemoleculardilatationofthe

  vapourofwater。\"WhereHeatisabsorbedwithoutapparentresult,modern

  inquirieshavedetectedunobtrusivemodifications:asinglass,themolecular

  stateofwhichissofarchanged,thataAlarizedrayoflightpassingthrough

  itbecomesvisible,whichitdoesnotwhentheglassiscold;orasonpolished

  metallicsurfaces,whicharealteredinmolecularstructurebyradiations

  fromobjectsveryclosetothem。ThetransformationofHeatintoelectricity

  occurswhendissimilarmetalstouchingeachotherareheatedatthepoint

  ofcontact:electriccurrentsbeingsoproduced。Solid,incombustiblematter

  putintoheatedgas,aslimeintotheOxyhydrogenflame,becomesincandescent;

  andsoexhibitstheconversionofHeatintolight。Theproductionofmagnetism

  byHeat,ifitcannotbeprovedtotakeplacedirectly,maybeprovedto

  takeplaceindirectlythroughtheagencyofelectricity。Andthroughthe

  sameagencymaybeestablishedthecorrelationofHeatandchemicalaffinity

  ——acorrelationwhichisdirectlyshownbythemarkedinfluenceHeatexercisesonchemicalcompositionanddecomposition。ThetransformationsofElectricityintoothermodesofforceareclearly

  demonstrable。Producedbythemotionofheterogeneousbodiesincontact,

  Electricity,throughattractionsandrepulsions,willimmediatelyreproduce

  motioninneighbouringbodies。InthiscaseacurrentofElectricitymagnetizes

  abarofsoftiron;andinthatcasetherotationofanequippedmagnetgenerates

  currentsofElectricity。Hereisthecellofabatteryinwhich,fromthe

  playofchemicalaffinities,anelectriccurrentresults;andthere,inthe

  adjacentcell,isanelectriccurrenteffectingchemicaldecomposition。In

  theconductingwirewewitnessthetransformationofElectricityintoheat;

  whileinelectricsparksandinthevoltaicarcweseelightproduced。Molecular

  arrangement,too,ischangedbyElectricity:asinstancethetransferof

  matterfrompoletopoleofabattery;thefracturescausedbythedisruptive

  discharge;theformationofcrystalsundertheinfluenceofelectriccurrents。

  Andthenthat,conversely,Electricityisdirectlygeneratedbyrearrangement

  ofthemoleculesofmatter,isshownwhenastorage—batteryoraccumulatorisused。HowfromMagnetismtheotherphysicalforcesresult,mustbenextbriefly

  noted——briefly,becauseineachsuccessivecasetheillustrationsbecome

  ingreatparttheobverseformsofthosebeforegiven。ThatMagnetismproduces

  motionistheordinaryevidencewehaveofitsexistence。Inthemagneto—electric

  machinearotatingmagnetevolveselectricity。andtheelectricitysoevolved

  mayimmediatelyafterexhibititselfasheat,light,orchemicalaffinity。

  Faraday\'sdiscoveryoftheeffectofMagnetismonpolarizedlight,aswell

  asthediscoverythatchangeofmagneticstateisaccompaniedbyheat,point

  tofurtherlikeconnexions。Lastly,experimentsshowthatthemagnetization

  ofabodyaltersitsinternalstructure;andthat,conversely,thealterationofitsinternalstructure,asbymechanicalstrain,altersitsmagneticcondition。Improbableasitseemed,itisnowprovedthatfromLightalsomayproceed

  thelikevarietyofagencies。Raysoflightchangetheatomicarrangements

  ofparticularcrystals。Certainmixedgases,whichdonototherwisecombine,

  combineinthesunshine。Insomecompoundslightproducesdecomposition。

  Sincetheinquiriesofphotographershavedrawnattentiontothesubject,

  ithasbeenshownthat\"avastnumberofsubstances,bothelementary

  andcompound,arenotablyaffectedbythisagent,eventhoseapparentlythe

  mostunalterableincharacter,suchasmetals。\"Andwhenadaguerreotype

  plateisconnectedwithaproperapparatus\"wegetchemicalactionon

  theplate,electricitycirculatingthroughthewires,magnetisminthecoil,heatinthehelix,andmotionintheneedles。\"ThegenesisofallothermodesofforcefromChemicalAction,scarcely

  needspointingout。Theordinaryaccompanimentofchemicalcombinationis

  heat;andwhentheaffinitiesareintense,lightalsoisproduced。Chemical

  changesinvolvingalterationofbulk,causemotion,bothinthecombining

  elementsandinadjacentmassesofmatter:witnessthepropulsionofabullet

  bytheexplosionofgunpowder。Inthegalvanicbatteryweseeelectricity

  resultingfromchemicalcompositionanddecomposition。Whilethroughthemediumofthiselectricity,ChemicalActionproducesmagnetism。Thesefacts,thelargerpartofwhichareculledfromGrove\'sworkonTheCorrelationofPhysicalForces,showthateachforceistransformable,

  directlyorindirectly,intotheothers。IneverychangeForce(orEnergy,

  asinthesecasesitiscalled)undergoesmetamorphosis;andfromthenew

  formorformsitassumes,maysubsequentlyresulteitherthepreviousone

  oranyoftherest,inendlessvarietyoforderandcombination。Itisfurther

  nowmanifestthatthephysicalforcesstandnotsimplyinqualitativecorrelations

  withoneanother,butalsoinquantitativecorrelations。Besidesproving

  thatonemodeofforcemaybetransformedintoanothermode,experiments

  showthatfromadefiniteamountofone,theamountsofothersthatarise

  aredefinite。Ordinarilyitisdifficulttoshowthis;sinceitmostlyhappens

  thatthetransformationofanyforceisnotintosomeoneoftherestbut

  intoseveralofthem:theproportionsbeingdeterminedbyever—varyingconditions。

  Butincertaincasespositiveresultshavebeenreached。Mr。Joulehasascertained

  thatthefallof772lb。throughonefoot,willraisethetemperatureof

  apoundofwateronedegreeofFahrenheit。Dulong,Petit,andNeumann,have

  provedarelationinamountbetweentheaffinitiesofcombiningbodiesand

  theheatevolvedduringtheircombination。Betweenchemicalactionandvoltaic

  electricityaquantitativeconnexionhasbeenestablishedbyFaraday。The

  well—determinedrelationsbetweentheamountsofheatgeneratedandofwater

  turnedtosteam,orstillbettertheknownexpansionproducedinsteamby

  eachadditionaldegreeofheat,maybecitedinfurtherevidence。Henceit

  isnolongerdoubtedthatamongtheseveralformswhichforceassumes,thequantitativerelationsarefixed。###第16章§67。ThroughouttheCosmosthistruthmustinvariablyhold。Every

  change,orgroupofchanges,goingoninit,mustbeduetoforcesaffiliable

  onthelikeorunlikeforcespreviouslyexisting;whilefromtheforcesexhibited

  insuchchangeorchangesmustbederivedothersmoreorlesstransformed。

  Andbesidesrecognizingthisnecessarylinkingoftheforcesatanytime

  manifestedwiththoseprecedingandsucceedingthem,wemustrecognizethe

  amountsoftheseforcesasnecessarilyproducingsuchandsuchquantitiesofresults,andasnecessarilylimitedtothosequantities。ThatunificationofknowledgewhichisthebusinessofPhilosophy,is

  butlittlefurtheredbytheestablishmentofthistruthunderitsgeneral

  form。Wemusttraceitoutunderitsleadingspecialforms。Changes,and

  theaccompanyingtransformationsofforces,areeverywhereinprogress,from

  themovementsofstarstothecurrentsofcommodities;andtocomprehend

  thegreatfactthatforces,unceasinglymetamorphosed,arenowhereincreased

  ordecreased,itisrequisitetocontemplatethechangesofallkindsgoing

  onthatwemaylearnwhencearisetheforcestheyandwhatbecomesofthese

  forces。Ofcourseifanswerableatall,thesequestionscanbeansweredonly

  intheestablishrudestway。Themostwecanhopeistoestablishaqualitative

  correlationthatisindefinitelyquantitative——quantitativetotheextentofimplyingsomethinglikeadueproportionbetweencausesandeffects。Letus,then,considertheseveralclassesofphenomenawhichtheseveralconcretesciencesdealwith。§68。TheantecedentsofthoseforceswhichourSolarSystemdisplays,

  belongtoapastofwhichwecanneverhaveanythingbutinferentialknowledge。

  ManyandstrongasarethereasonsforbelievingtheNebularHypothesis,

  wecannotyetregarditasmorethananhypothesis。If,however,weassume

  thatthematterofourSolarSystemwasoncediffusedandhadirregularities

  ofshapeanddensitysuchasexistingnebulaedisplay,orresultedfromthe

  coalescencesofmovingnebulousmasses,wehave,inthemomentaofitsparts,originalandacquiredforcesadequatetoproducethemotionsnowgoingon。Variousstagesintheformationofspiralnebulaeimplythatrotation

  inmanycasesresultsfromconcentration:whetheralways,thereisnoproof;

  forlargenebulaearetoodiffused,smallonestoodense,andothersare

  seentoomuchedgeways,toyieldevidence。Butintheabsenceofadverse

  pre—arrangementsomerotationmaysafelybeinferred。Sofarastheevidence

  carriesus,weperceivesomequantitativerelationbetweenthemotionsgenerated

  andthegravitativeforcesexpendedingeneratingthem。IntheSolarSystem

  theoutermostplanets,formedfromthatmatterwhichhastravelledtheshortest

  distancetowardsthecommoncentreofgravity,havethesmallestvelocities。

  Doubtlessthisisexplicableontheteleologicalhypothesis,sinceitis

  aconditiontoequilibrium。Butwithoutinsistingthatthisisbesidethe

  question,itwillsufficetopointoutthatthelikecannotbesaidofthe

  planetaryrotations。Nosuchfinalcausecanbeassignedfortherapidaxial

  movementofJupiterandSaturn,ortheslowaxialmovementofMars。If,however,

  welookforthenaturalantecedentsofthesegyrationswhichallplanets

  exhibit,thenebularhypothesisfurnishesthem;andtheybearmanifestquantitative

  relationstotheratesofmotions。Fortheplanetsthatturnontheiraxes

  withextremerapidityarethosehavinglargeorbits——thoseofwhichthe

  once—diffusedcomponents,probablyformedintobroadrings,movedtotheir

  centresofaggregationinimmensespaces,andsoacquiredhighvelocities。

  Whileconversely;theplanetswhichrotatewithrelativelysmallvelocities,arethoseformedoutofsmallnebulousrings。\"Butwhat,\"itmaybeasked,\"hasinsuchcasebecomeof

  allthatmotionwhichendedintheaggregationofthisdiffusedmatterinto

  solidbodies?\"Theansweristhatithasbeenradiatedintheformof

  heatandlight;andthisanswertheevidence,sofarasitgoes,confirms。

  GeologistsandphysicistsagreeinconcludingthattheheatoftheEarth\'s

  interiorisbutaremnantoftheheatwhichoncemademoltenthewholemass。

  ThemountainoussurfacesoftheMoonandofVenus,indicating,astheydo,

  crustswhichhave,likeourown,beencorrugatedbycontraction,implythat

  thesebodies,too,haveundergonerefrigeration。LastlywehaveintheSun

  astill—continuedproductionoftheheatandlightwhichresultfromthe

  arrestofdiffusedmattermovingtowardsacommoncentreofgravity。Here

  also,asbefore,aquantitativerelationistraceable。Mars,theEarth,Venus,

  andMercury,whichseverallycontaincomparativelysmallamountsofmatter

  whosecentripetalmotionhasbeendestroyed,havealreadylostnearlyall

  theproducedheat;whilethegreatplanets,JupiterandSaturn,implyby

  theirlowspecificgravity,aswellasbytheperturbationsoftheirsurfaces,

  thattheystillretainmuchheat。AndthentheSun,athousandtimesasgreat

  inmassasthelargestplanet,andhavingtogiveoffanenormouslygreater

  quantityofheatandlightduetothatlossofmolarmotionwhichconcentrationentails,isstillradiatingwithgreatintensity。§69。Thoseforceswhichhavewroughtthesurfaceofourplanetinto

  itspresentshape,aretraceabletotheprimordialsourcejustassigned。

  Geologicchangesareeitherdirectorindirectresultsoftheunexpended

  heatcausedbynebularcondensation。Theyarecommonlydividedintoigneousandaqueous——headsunderwhichwemaymostconvenientlyconsiderthem。Allthosedisturbancesknownasearthquakes,allthoseelevationsand

  subsidenceswhichtheyseverallyproduce,allthoseaccumulatedeffectsof

  manysuchelevationsandsubsidencesexhibitedinocean—basins,islands,

  continents,table—lands,mountain—chains,andallthoseformationswhich

  aredistinguishedasvolcanic,geologistsnowregardasmodificationsof

  theEarth\'scrustcausedbytheactionsandreactionsofitsinterior。Even

  supposingthatvolcaniceruptions,extrusionsofigneousrock,andupheaved

  mountain—chains,couldbeotherwisesatisfactorilyaccountedfor,itwould

  beimpossibleotherwisetoaccountforthosewide—spreadelevationsanddepressions

  whencecontinentsandoceansresult。Suchphenomenaasthefusionoragglutination

  ofsedimentarydeposits,thewarmingofsprings,thesublimationofmetals

  intothefissureswherewefindthemasores,mayberegardedaspositive

  resultsoftheresiduaryheatoftheEarth\'sinterior;whilefracturesof

  strataandalterationsoflevelareitsnegativeresults,sincetheyensue

  onitsescape。Theoriginalcauseofalltheseeffectsisstill,however,

  asithasbeenfromthefirst,thegravitatingmovementoftheEarth\'smatter

  towardstheEarth\'scentre;seeingthattothisisdueboththeeternalheatitselfandthecollapsewhichtakesplaceasitisradiatedintospace。Tothequestion——Underwhatformspreviouslyexistedtheforcewhich

  worksoutthegeologicalchangesclassedasaqueous,theanswerislessobvious。

  Theeffectsofrain,ofrivers,ofwinds,ofwaves,ofmarinecurrents,do

  notmanifestlyproceedfromonegeneralsource。Analysis,nevertheless,proves

  thattheyhaveacommongenesis。Ifweask,——Whencecomesthepowerof

  theriver—current,bearingsedimentdowntothesea?thereplyis,——The

  gravitationofwaterthroughoutthetractwhichthisriverdrains。Ifwe

  ask,——Howcamethewatertobedispersedoverthistract?thereplyis,

  ——Itfellintheshapeofrain。Ifweask,——Howcametheraintobein

  thatpositionwhenceitfell?thereplyis,——Thevapourfromwhichitwas

  condensedwasdriftedtherebythewinds。Ifweask,——Howcamethisvapour

  tobeatthatheight?thereplyis,——Itwasraisedbyevaporation。And

  ifweask,——Whatforcethusraisedit?thereplyis,——TheSun\'sheat。

  JustthatamountofgravitativeforcewhichtheSun\'sheatovercameinraising

  themoleculesofwater,isgivenoutagaininthefallofthosemolecules

  tothesamelevel。Hencethedenudationseffectedbyrainandrivers,during

  thedescentofthiscondensedvapourtothelevelofthesea,areindirectly

  duetotheradiatedenergyoftheSun。Similarlywiththewindsthattransport

  thevapourshitherandthither。Consequentasatmosphericcurrentsareon

  differencesoftemperature(eithergeneral,asbetweentheequatorialand

  polarregions,orspecialasbetweentractsoftheEarth\'ssurfacehaving

  unlikephysicalcharacters)allsuchcurrentsareduetothatsourcefrom

  whichtheirregularlydistributedheatproceeds。Andifthewindsthusoriginate,

  sotoodothewavesraisedbythemonthesea\'ssurface。Whenceitfollows

  thatwhateverchangeswavesproduce——thewearingawayofcliffs,thebreaking

  downofrocksintoshingle,sand,andmud——arealsotraceabletothesolar

  raysastheirprimarycause。Thesamemaybesaidofocean—currents。Generated

  asthelargeronesarebytheexcessofheatwhichtheoceanintropical

  climatesacquiresfromtheSun;anddeterminedasthesmalleronesarein

  partbylocalshapesofland;itfollowsthatthedistributionofsediment

  andothergeologicalprocesseswhichthesemarinecurrentseffect,areaffiliable

  upontheenergytheSunradiates。Theonlyaqueousagencyotherwiseoriginating

  isthatofthetides——anagencywhich,equallywiththeothers,istraceable

  tounexpendedcelestialmotion。Butmakingallowanceforthechangesthis

  works,weconcludethattheslowwearingdownofcontinentsandgradualfilling

  upofseas,effectedbyrain,rivers,winds,waves,andocean—streams,aretheindirecteffectsofsolarheat。Thusweseethatwhilethegeologicalchangesclassedasigneous,arise

  fromthestill—progressingmotionoftheEarth\'ssubstancetoitscentre

  ofgravity;theantagonisticchangesclassedasaqueous,arisefromthestill—progressingmotionoftheSun\'ssubstancetowardsitscentreofgravity。§70。Thattheforcesexhibitedinvitalactions,vegetalandanimal,

  aresimilarlyderived,isanobviousdeductionfromthefactsoforganic

  chemistry。Letusnotefirstthephysiologicalgeneralizations;andthenthegeneralizationswhichtheynecessitate。Plant—lifeisalldirectlyorindirectlydependentontheheatandlight

  oftheSun—directlydependentintheimmensemajorityofplants,andindirectly

  dependentinplantswhich,asthefungi,flourishinthedark:sincethese,

  growingattheexpenseofdecayingorganicmatter,mediatelydrawtheirforces

  fromthesameoriginalsource。Eachplantowesthecarbonandhydrogenof

  whichitmainlyconsists,tothecarbondioxideandwatercontainedinthe

  surroundingairandearth。Thesemust,however,bedecomposedbeforetheir

  carbonandhydrogencanbeassimilated。Toovercometheaffinitieswhich

  holdtheirelementstogetherrequirestheexpenditureofenergy;andthis

  energyissuppliedbytheSun。When,underfitconditions,plantsareexposed

  tothesolarrays,theygiveoffoxygenandaccumulatecarbonandhydrogen。

  Indarknessthisprocessceases。Itceases,too,whenthequantitiesoflight

  andheatreceivedaregreatlyreduced,asinwinter。Conversely,itisactive

  whenthelightandheataregreat,asinsummer。Andthelikerelationis

  seeninthefactthatwhileplant—lifeisluxuriantinthetropics,itdiminishes

  intemperateregions,anddisappearsasweapproachthepoles。Thustheirresistible

  inferenceisthattheforcesbywhichplantsgrowandcarryontheirfunctions,areforceswhichpreviouslyexistedassolarradiations。Thatinthemain,theprocessesofanimallifeareoppositetothoseof

  vegetallifeisatruthlongcurrentamongmenofscience。Chemicallyconsidered,

  vegetallifeischieflyaprocessofde—oxidation,andanimallifechiefly

  aprocessofoxidation;chieflywemustsay,becauseinsofarasplants

  areexpendersofforceforthepurposesoforganization,theyareoxidizers;

  andanimals,insomeoftheirminorprocesses,areprobablyde—oxidizers。

  Butwiththisqualification,thegeneraltruthisthatwhiletheplant,decomposing

  carbondioxideandwaterandliberatingoxygen,buildsupthedetainedcarbon

  andhydrogen(alongwithalittlenitrogenandsmallquantitiesofother

  elements)intostem,branches,leaves,andseeds;theanimal,consumingthese

  branches,leaves,andseeds,andabsorbingoxygen,re—composescarbondioxide

  andwater,formingalsocertainnitrogenouscompoundsinminoramounts。And

  whilethedecompositioneffectedbytheplantisattheexpenseofenergies

  emanatingfromtheSun,there—compositioneffectedbytheanimalisatthe

  profitoftheseenergies,whichareliberatedduringthecombinationofsuch

  elements。Thusthemovements,internalandexternal,oftheanimal,arere—appearances

  innewformsofapowerabsorbedbytheplantundertheshapeoflightand

  heat。Justasthesolarforcesexpendedinraisingvapourfromthesea\'s

  surface,aregivenoutagaininthefallofrainandriverstothesamelevel,

  andintheaccompanyingtransferofsolidmatters;so,thesolarforcesthat

  intheplantraisedcertainchemicalelementstoaconditionofunstable

  equilibrium,aregivenoutagainttheactionsoftheanimalduringthefalloftheseelementstoaconditionofstableequilibrium。Besidesthustracingaqualitativecorrelationbetweenthesetwogreat

  ordersoforganicactivity,aswellasbetweenbothofthemandinorganic

  activities,wemayrudelytraceaquantitativecorrelation。Wherevegetal

  lifeisabundant,weusuallyfindabundantanimallife;andasweadvance

  fromtorridtotemperateandfrigidclimates,thetwodecreasetogether。

  Speakinggenerally,theanimalsofeachclassreachlargersizesinregionswherevegetationisluxuriant,thaninthosewhereitissparse。Certainfactsofdevelopmentinbothplantsandanimals,illustratestill

  moredirectlythetruthweareconsidering。Inpursuanceofasuggestion

  madebyMr。(afterwardsSirWilliam)Grove,Dr。Carpenterpointedoutthat

  aconnexionbetweenphysicalandvitalforcesisexhibitedduringincubation。

  Thetransformationoftheunorganizedcontentsofaneggintotheorganized

  chick,isaquestionofheat:withholdheatandtheprocessdoesnotcommence;

  supplyheatanditgoesonwhilethetemperatureismaintained,butceases

  whentheeggisallowedtocool。Thedevelopmentalchangescanbecompleted

  onlybykeepingthetemperaturewithtolerableconstancyatadefiniteheight

  foradefinitetime;thatis——onlybysupplyingadefinitequantityof

  heat。Thoughtheproclivitiesofthemoleculesdeterminethetypicalstructure

  assumed,yettheenergysuppliedbythethermalundulationsgivesthemthe

  powerofarrangingthemselvesintothatstructure。Inthemetamorphosesof

  insectswemaydiscernparallelfacts。Thehatchingoftheireggsisdetermined

  bytemperature,asisalsotheevolutionofthepupaintotheimago;and

  bothareacceleratedorretardedaccordingasheatisartificiallysupplied

  orwithheld。Itwillsufficejusttoadd,thatthegerminationofplantspresentslikerelationsofcauseandeffect,aseveryseasonshows。Thusthenthevariouschangesexhibitedbytheorganiccreation,whether

  consideredasawhole,orinitstwogreatdivisions,orinitsindividualmembers,conform,sofaraswecanascertain,tothegeneralprinciple。§71。Evenafterallthathasbeensaidintheforegoingpartofthis

  work,manywillbealarmedbytheassertionthattheforceswhichwedistinguish

  asmental,comewithinthesamegeneralization。Yetthereisnoalternative

  buttomakethisassertion:thefactswhichjustify,orratherwhichnecessitate,

  itbeingabundantandconspicuous。Atthesametimetheyareextremelyinvolved。

  Theessentialcorrelationsoccurinorganswhicharemostlyinvisible,and

  betweenforcesorenergiesquiteotherthanthosewhichareapparent。Letusfirsttakeasuperficialviewoftheevidence。Themodesofconsciousnesscalledpressure,motion,sound,light,heat,

  areeffectsproducedinusbyagencieswhichasotherwiseexpended,crush

  orfracturepiecesofmatter,generatevibrationsinsurroundingobjects,

  causechemicalcombinations,andreducesubstancesfromasolidtoaliquid

  form。Henceifweregardthechangesofrelativeposition,ofaggregation,

  orofchemicalunion,thusarising,asbeingtransformedmanifestationsof

  certainenergies;so,too,mustweregardthesensationswhichsuchenergies

  produceinus。Anyhesitationtoadmitthismustdisappearonremembering

  thatthelastcorrelations,likethefirst,arenotqualitativeonlybut

  quantitative。Massesofmatterwhich,byscalesordynamometer,areshown

  todiffergreatlyinweight,differasgreatlyinthefeelingsofpressure

  theyproduceonourbodies。Inarrestingmovingobjects,thestrainsweare

  consciousofareproportionatetothemomentaofsuchobjectsasotherwise

  measured。Theimpressionsofsoundsgiventousbyvibratingstrings,bells,

  orcolumnsofair,arefoundtovaryinstrengthwiththeamountofforce

  applied。Fluidsorsolidsprovedtobemarkedlycontrastedintemperature

  bythedifferentdegreesofexpansiontheyproduceinthemercurialcolumn,

  produceinuscorrespondinglydifferentdegreesofthesensationofheat。

  Andunlikeintensitiesinourimpressionsoflight,answertounlikeeffectsasmeasuredbyphotometers。Besidesthecorrelationandequivalencebetweenexternalphysicalforces

  andthementalforcesgeneratedbythemundertheformofsensations,there

  appearstobeacorrelationandequivalencebetweensensationsandthose

  physicalforceswhich,intheshapeofbodilyactions,resultfromthem。

  Inadditiontotheexcitementsofsecretingorgans,sometimestraceable,

  therearisecontractionsoftheinvoluntarymuscles。Sensationsincrease

  theactionoftheheart,andrecentexperimentsimplythatthemuscularfibres

  ofthearteriesareatthesametimecontracted。Therespiratorymuscles,

  tooarestimulated。Therateofbreathingisvisiblyandaudiblyaugmented

  bothbypleasurableandpainfulexcitementsofthenerves,ifthesereach

  anyintensity。Whenthequantityofsensationisgreat,itgeneratescontractions

  ofthevoluntarymuscles,aswellasoftheinvoluntaryones。Violentpains

  causeviolentstruggles。Thestartthatfollowsaloudsound,thewryface

  producedbyanextremelydisagreeabletaste,thejerkwithwhichthehand

  orfootissnatchedoutofveryhotwaterexemplifythegenesisofmotions

  byfeelings;andinthesecasesitismanifestthatthequantityofbodily。

  actionisproportionatetothequantityofsensation。evenwherepridecauses

  suppressionofthescreamsandgroansexpressiveofgreatpain(alsoindirect

  resultsofmuscularcontraction),wemaystillseeintheclenchingofthe

  hands,theknittingofthebrows,andthesettingoftheteeth,thatthe

  bodilyactionsexcitedareasgreat,thoughlessobtrusiveintheirresults。

  Ifwetakeemotionsinsteadofsensations,wefindthecorrelationandequivalence

  similarlysuggested。emotionsofmoderateintensity,likesensationsofmoderate

  intensity,generatelittlebeyondexcitementoftheheartandvascularsystem,

  joinedsometimeswithincreasedactionofglandularorgans。Butastheemotions

  riseinstrength,themusclesoftheface,body,andlimbs,begintomove。

  Ofexamplesmaybementionedthefrowns,dilatednostrils,andstampings

  ofanger;thecontractedbrows,andwrunghands,ofgrief;thelaughsand

  leapsofjoy;thefranticstrugglesofterrorordespair。Passingovercases

  inwhichextremeagitationcausesfainting,weseethatwhateverbethekind

  ofemotion,thereisamanifestrelationbetweenitsamount,andtheamount

  ofmuscularactioninduced,fromthefidgettinessofimpatienceuptothe

  almostconvulsivemovementsaccompanyinggreatmentalagony。Totheseseveral

  ordersofevidencemustbejoinedthefurtherorder,thatbetweenfeelings

  andthosevoluntarymotionswhichresultfromthem,therecomesthesensation

  ofmusculartension,standinginmanifestcorrelationwithboth——acorrelation

  thatisdistinctlyquantitative:thesenseofstrainvarying,otherthingsequal,directlyasthequantityofmomentumgenerated。§71a。Butnow,revertingtothecautionwhichprecededthesetwo

  paragraphs,wehavetonote,first,thatthefactsdonotprovetransformation

  offeelingintomotionbutonlyacertainconstantratiobetweenfeeling

  andmotion;andthenwehavefurthertonotethatwhatseemsadirectquantitative

  correlationisillusory。Forexample,ticklingisfollowedbyalmostuncontrollable

  movementsofthelimbs;butobviouslythereisnoproportionbetweenthe

  amountofforceappliedtothesurfaceandtheamountoffeelingortheamount

  ofmotion:ratherthereisaninverseproportion,forwhilearoughtouch

  doesnotproducetheeffectagentleonedoes。Evenwhenitisrecognized

  thatthefeelingisnotthecorrelateoftheexternaltouchingactionbut

  ofadisturbanceincertainterminaltactilestructures,itstillremains

  demonstrablethatthereisnonecessaryrelationbetweentheamountofsuch

  disturbanceandtheamountoffeelingproduced;forundersomeconditions

  muscularmotionresultswithouttheintercalationofanyfeeling。Whenthe

  spinalcordhasbeensoinjuredastocutoffallnervouscommunicationbetween

  thelowerpartofthebodyandthebrain,ticklingthesoleofthefootproduces

  convulsionofthelegmoreviolentthanitwoulddowereitaccompaniedby

  sensation:thereisareflextransmissionofthestimulusandgenesisof

  motionwithoutpassagethroughconsciousness。Casesofanotherclassshow

  thatbetweencentralfeelingsoremotionsandthemuscularmovementsthey

  initiatetherearenofixedratios:instancethesenseofeffortfeltin

  makingasmallmovementbyonewhoisexhausted,ortheinabilityofanpatient

  toraisealimbfromthebedhoweverstrongthedesiretodoit。Sothat

  neitherthefeelingsperipherallyinitiatednorthosecentrallyinitiated,

  thoughtheyarecorrelatedwithmotions,arequantitativelycorrelated。Even

  stillmoremanifestbecomesthelackofdirectrelation,eitherqualitative

  orquantitative,betweenouterstimuliandinnerfeelings,orbetweensuch

  innerfeelingsandmuscularmotions,whenwecontemplatethecomplexkinds

  ofmentalprocesses。Theemotionsandactionsofamanwhohasbeeninsulted

  areclearlynotequivalentsofthesensationsproducedbythewordsinhis

  earsforthesamewordsotherwisearranged,wouldnothavecausedthem。The

  thingsaidbearstothementalactionitexcites,muchthesamerelation

  thatthepullingofatriggerbearstothesubsequentexplosion——doesnot

  producethepowerbutmerelyliberatesit。Whence,then,arisesthisimmenseamountofnervousenergywhichawhisperoraglancemaycallforth?Evidentlyweshallgoutterlywrongiftheproblemofthetransformation

  andequivalenceofforcesisdealtwithasthoughanorganismweresimple

  andpassiveinsteadofbeingcomplexandactive。Inthelivingbodythere

  arealreadygoingonmultitudinoustransformationsofenergyveryvarious

  intheirnatures,andbetweenanyphysicalactionfillingonitandanymotion

  whichfollows,thereareintercalatednumerouschangesofkindandquantity。

点击下载App,搜索"First Principles",免费读到尾