300 The Unity of the Organism 



talks about the sensible qualities and the "secret powers" 

 of the bread we eat. "Our senses inform us of the color, 

 weight, and consistence of the bread," he says, "but neither 

 sense nor reason can ever inform us of those qualities which 

 fit it for the nourishment and support of a human body." 

 The particular puzzle upon which Hume comes in this 

 matter is the fact that although the examination here and 

 now of a natural object gives us absolutely no clue as to what 

 latent attributes ("secret powers," he calls them) the ob- 

 ject may possess, when we examine a second object of the 

 same kind we assume that the same secret powers are pos- 

 sessed by the second object. "If a body of like colour and 

 consistence with that bread, which we have formerly eat, 

 be presented to us, we make no scruple of repeating the ex- 

 periment, and foresee, with certainty, like nourishment and 

 support. Now this is a process of the mind, of thought," 

 Hume goes on to say, "of which I would willingly know the 

 foundation." "The bread," he says, a little farther on, 

 "which formerly I eat, nourished me ; that is, a body of such 

 sensible qualities was, at that time, endued with such secret 

 powers : but does it follow that other bread must also nour- 

 ish me at another time, and that like sensible qualities must 

 always be attended with like secret powers? The conse- 

 quences seem nowise necessary. At least, it must be acknowl- 

 edged that there is here a consequence drawn by the mind; 

 that there is a certain step taken; a process of thought, 

 and an inference, which wants to be explained." Then after 

 a little further argument to show the necessity of recog- 

 nizing such a process we find this to me exceedingly interest- 

 ing passage: "There is required a medium, which may en- 

 able the mind to draw such an inference, if indeed it be drawn 

 by reasoning and argument. What that medium is, I must 

 confess, passes my comprehension; and it is incumbent on 

 those to produce it, who assert that it really exists, and is 

 the origin of all our conclusions concerning matter of fact." 



