LITERARY NOTICES. 



559 



The second chapter is devoted to an 

 exposition of the general principles of the 

 mechanical theory, which may ! very briefly 

 summed up in four propositions, as follows: 



1. The elementary units of mass being 

 simple, are in all respects equal. 



2. They are absolutely hard and inelastic. 



3. They are absolutely inert, and there- 

 fore purely passive. 



1. All potential energy, so called, is in 

 reality kinetic. 



In the next six chapters these proposi- 

 tions are taken up in their order, with the 

 view of ascertaining to what extent they 

 are consistent with each other, and how far 

 they serve as explanations of the facts of 

 scientific experience. It here comes out 

 that there is a profound anarchy in the 

 views of the ablest scientists regarding ulti- 

 mate scientific questions. Judge Stallo dis- 

 cusses the accepted theories with great crit- 

 ical skill and logical force, showing their 

 short-comings and contradictions, and prov- 

 ing conclusively that what is now most 

 needed is a thorough-going re-examination 

 of the grounds of what is currently regarded 

 as established scientific theory. 



The eight chapters of the work to which 

 we here refer are worthy of being very care- 

 fully studied on their own merits as expo- 

 sitions and criticisms of scientific theory. 

 But the author's analysis brings out a group 

 of errors, of which he finds it necessary to 

 seek the sources and parentage. This opens 

 to him (Chapter IX) the interesting prob- 

 lem of the relation of thoughts to things, 

 the formation of concepts, and the consid- 

 eration of metaphysical theories. He then 

 passes, in Chapters X, XI, and XII, to an 

 examination of the character and origin of 

 the mechanical theory, and points out suc- 

 cessively how it exemplifies four radical er- 

 rors of metaphysics. The nature of these 

 errors we have no space here to explain, 

 but the author shows that they extend much 

 further in their vitiating influence than to 

 the mechanical theory of the constitution of 

 material nature. In Chapter XIII he still 

 further develops the general argument by 

 explaining how the same metaphysical fal- 

 lacies that taint our theoretical physics have 

 given rise to modern transcendental geom- 

 etry and the new doctrine of space, with 

 four or more dimensions. In Chapter XIV 



this subject of meta-geomctrical space is 

 pursued in the light of modern analysis, 

 and by an examination of Riemann'a cele- 

 brated essay upon this subject. The further 

 ramifications of metaphysical error in sci- 

 ence are then followed out in Chapter XV 

 into cosmological and cosmogenetie specula- 

 tions, with a consideration of the nebular 

 hypothesis. Chapter XVI concludes the 

 work, with a summary of important por- 

 tions of the previous discussion, and some 

 further interesting reflections on the pres- 

 ent attitude of chemical philosophy. 



In regard to the atomic theory in chem- 

 istiy, Judge Stallo does not deny its useful- 

 ness as a graphic device for representing 

 chemical and physical transformations. He 

 recognizes it as " a fact beyond dispute that 

 chemistry owes a great part of its practical 

 advance' to its use, and that the structural 

 formulas founded upon it have enabled the 

 chemist, not merely to trace the connection 

 and mutual dependence of the various stages 

 in the metamorphosis of 'elements' and 

 'compounds,' so called, but in many cases 

 (such as that of the hydrocarbon series in 

 organic chemistry) successfully to anticipate 

 the results of experimental research." 



But the convenience of hypothetical 

 devices can not prove their truth. In the 

 advance toward higher science, erroneous 

 views are often the efficient instruments 

 of progression. The history of science is 

 full of the utilities of erroneous theory. 

 Early astronomy, as so well shown by Whew- 

 ell, was mainly developed by the help of 

 the false theory of epicycles. Experiment- 

 al chemistry, as pointed out by Liebig, 

 originated under the influence of the false 

 notion of the transmutability of the metals ; 

 while its later advances were largely due to 

 the erroneous hypothesis of phlogiston. So 

 the atomic hypothesis has carried it on stid 

 further, but this no more proves it to be 

 true than it did the preceding hypotheses. 

 \ The scaffoldings of construction, important, 

 indispensable as they may be, arc not to be 

 identified with the edifice. 



This scanty outline of the author's argu- 

 ment will serve only to suggest the nature 

 of the problems with which he is engaged. 

 The book must be read deliberately, must 

 be studied to be appreciated ; but the stu- 

 dents of science, as well as those of meta- 



