258 THE GROUNDWORK OF SCIENCE

К оглавлению1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 
17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 
34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 
51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 
68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 
85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 
102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 
119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 
136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 
153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 
170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179  181 182 183 184 185 186 
187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 
204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 
221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 
238 239 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 
255 256 257 258 259 260 261 262 263 264 265 266 267 268 269 270 271 
272 273 274 275 276 277 278 279 280 281 282 283 284 285 286 287 288 
289 290 291 292 293 294 295 296 297 298 299 300 301 302 303 304 305 
306 307 308 309 310 311 312 313 314 315 316 317 318 319 320 321 322 
323 324 325 326 327 328 329 330 331 332 333 334 335 336 337 338 339 
340 

 

forth, we shall find that it stands in close relation to our

perception and idea of "change."

 

When some change occurs, or when anything strikes us as

being a new thing, we spontaneously look out to see what

has brought it about what is its cause. And very often our

investigation is quite satisfactorily repaid. We find what the

cause was, and that we can by experiment again produce the

effect whenever we will.

 

Think over the matter as we may, when we perceive a

change, or that a new existence has come into being, we are

at once certain that some cause must have produced it. If we

have gone out of doors, leaving our library window open, and

on our return find it shut, we are at once absolutely certain

that some person or thing must have shut it. If an infant

begins to cry violently without any external cause, we are

sure that it has experienced some painful feeling, produced

through some internal modification. If we find in a bird-cage

which has long been shut up and tenantless, a living thrush,

the notes of which have attracted our attention, we are at once

as certain as it is possible to be that, if it did not find its

way in itself, someone must have placed there this, for us,

new existence.

 

This mental conviction of ours is no negative one, such, e.g.,

as that " We cannot conceive such changes or new existences

without a cause," but that we positively do see "that every

change or new existence is, and must be, due to some cause?

 

This proposition, indeed, expresses an intellectual intuition

which is for us a necessary and universal truth, and one self-

evident. As such, of course, it is quite incapable of proof;

but a little pondering over it will, we think, make its self-

evidence quite clear, and show that it is no blind habit of

mind " due to custom," as Hume said (as if the origin of any

idea could be explained by such a notion !) but is one seen to

be necessarily true,

 

 

forth, we shall find that it stands in close relation to our

perception and idea of "change."

 

When some change occurs, or when anything strikes us as

being a new thing, we spontaneously look out to see what

has brought it about what is its cause. And very often our

investigation is quite satisfactorily repaid. We find what the

cause was, and that we can by experiment again produce the

effect whenever we will.

 

Think over the matter as we may, when we perceive a

change, or that a new existence has come into being, we are

at once certain that some cause must have produced it. If we

have gone out of doors, leaving our library window open, and

on our return find it shut, we are at once absolutely certain

that some person or thing must have shut it. If an infant

begins to cry violently without any external cause, we are

sure that it has experienced some painful feeling, produced

through some internal modification. If we find in a bird-cage

which has long been shut up and tenantless, a living thrush,

the notes of which have attracted our attention, we are at once

as certain as it is possible to be that, if it did not find its

way in itself, someone must have placed there this, for us,

new existence.

 

This mental conviction of ours is no negative one, such, e.g.,

as that " We cannot conceive such changes or new existences

without a cause," but that we positively do see "that every

change or new existence is, and must be, due to some cause?

 

This proposition, indeed, expresses an intellectual intuition

which is for us a necessary and universal truth, and one self-

evident. As such, of course, it is quite incapable of proof;

but a little pondering over it will, we think, make its self-

evidence quite clear, and show that it is no blind habit of

mind " due to custom," as Hume said (as if the origin of any

idea could be explained by such a notion !) but is one seen to

be necessarily true,