﻿THE 
  UNFATHOMED 
  UNIVERSE 
  9 
  

  

  the 
  simplest 
  manner 
  the 
  motions 
  which 
  take 
  place 
  in 
  Na- 
  

   ture 
  ". 
  Widening 
  this 
  a 
  little, 
  we 
  may 
  say 
  that 
  the 
  aim 
  

   of 
  science 
  is 
  to 
  describe 
  natural 
  phenomena 
  and 
  occurrences 
  

   as 
  exactly 
  as 
  possible, 
  as 
  simply 
  as 
  possible, 
  as 
  completely 
  

   as 
  possible, 
  as 
  consistently 
  as 
  possible, 
  and 
  always 
  in 
  terms 
  

   which 
  are 
  communicable 
  and 
  verifiable. 
  This 
  is 
  a 
  very 
  dif- 
  

   ferent 
  role 
  from 
  that 
  of 
  solving 
  the 
  riddles 
  of 
  the 
  universe, 
  

   and 
  it 
  is 
  well 
  expressed 
  in 
  what 
  Newton 
  said 
  in 
  regard 
  to 
  

   the 
  law 
  of 
  gravitation. 
  " 
  So 
  far 
  I 
  have 
  accounted 
  for 
  the 
  

   phenomena 
  presented 
  to 
  us 
  by 
  the 
  heavens 
  and 
  the 
  sea 
  by 
  

   means 
  of 
  the 
  force 
  of 
  gravity, 
  but 
  I 
  have 
  as 
  yet 
  assigned 
  

   no 
  cause 
  to 
  this 
  gravity. 
  ... 
  I 
  have 
  not 
  been 
  able 
  to 
  

   deduce 
  from 
  phenomena 
  the 
  raison 
  d'etre 
  of 
  the 
  properties 
  

   of 
  gravity 
  and 
  I 
  have 
  not 
  set 
  up 
  hypotheses 
  ' 
  (Newton, 
  

   Philosophies 
  naturalis 
  Principia 
  Mathematica. 
  1687). 
  

  

  "We 
  must 
  confess," 
  said 
  Prof. 
  J. 
  H. 
  Poynting 
  (1900, 
  

   p. 
  616), 
  "that 
  physical 
  laws 
  have 
  greatly 
  fallen 
  off 
  in 
  

   dignity. 
  No 
  long 
  time 
  ago 
  they 
  were 
  quite 
  commonly 
  de- 
  

   scribed 
  as 
  the 
  Fixed 
  Laws 
  of 
  Nature, 
  and 
  were 
  supposed 
  

   sufficient 
  in 
  themselves 
  to 
  govern 
  the 
  universe. 
  Now 
  we 
  

   can 
  only 
  assign 
  to 
  them 
  the 
  humble 
  rank 
  of 
  mere 
  descrip- 
  

   tions, 
  often 
  erroneous, 
  of 
  similarities 
  which 
  we 
  believe 
  we 
  

   have 
  observed. 
  ... 
  A 
  law 
  of 
  nature 
  explains 
  nothing, 
  

   it 
  has 
  no 
  governing 
  power, 
  it 
  is 
  but 
  a 
  descriptive 
  formula 
  

   which 
  the 
  careless 
  have 
  sometimes 
  personified." 
  It 
  used 
  to 
  

   be 
  said 
  that 
  " 
  the 
  laws 
  of 
  Nature 
  are 
  the 
  thoughts 
  of 
  God 
  " 
  ; 
  

   now 
  we 
  say 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  the 
  investigator's 
  formulae 
  sum- 
  

   ming 
  up 
  regularities 
  of 
  recurrence. 
  

  

  This 
  view 
  of 
  the 
  function 
  of 
  science 
  must 
  be 
  accepted 
  as 
  

   expressing 
  at 
  least 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  truth, 
  for 
  who 
  should 
  know 
  

   better 
  what 
  they 
  are 
  aiming 
  at 
  than 
  the 
  great 
  discoverers 
  

   themselves 
  ? 
  But 
  is 
  it 
  not 
  necessary 
  to 
  make 
  certain 
  reserva- 
  

  

  