ORDER IN THE PHILOSOPHY OF NATURE 279 



is often largely a memorizing of formulae. He must be helped 

 by his teacher to understanding, and this with the aid of a text 

 book that features clarity of exposition. The undergraduate 

 is not yet prepared for delving into ancient sources; at least, 

 he cannot use the works of Aristotle and the commentaries of 

 St. Thomas in place of a text book. These are for more 

 advanced students. Moreover, these ancient treatises, valuable 

 as they are in themselves, are not adapted to the modem 

 student, who has had some amount of modern science before 

 coming to the study of philosophy. Our exposition of natural 

 philosophy must take cognizance of modern science, even 

 though philosophy is not founded on scientific theory. We 

 must also give at least bowing recognition to the many com- 

 peting theories for each thesis in the philosophy of nature, even 

 though they may sometimes be little more than historical 

 oddities. 



All learning proceeds from previously acquired knowledge. 

 This knowledge not only is a starting point; it also conditions 

 the acquisition of further doctrine. Because of his previous 

 education a student very easily slips into mechanistic modes 

 of thought. The concept of formal causality may come hard 

 to him. Analogical concepts may be frustrating. The student 

 must be gently led into the philosophical mode of thinking. 

 Many examples of formal and final causality must be given 

 him so that his concepts will be clear and deep. A well-ordered 

 exposition of the philosophy of nature must satisfy this need 

 of the modern student. 



The presentation of topics within natural philosophy must 

 not be given in a cut and dried thesis method. The natural 

 relation between a human mind and a not-understood fact of 

 nature is expressed in wonderment. As wonderment initiated 

 the science of philosophy among the early Greeks, so too it 

 will stimulate the individual mind to true philosophical inquiry. 

 The order of a science consists in the progress from wonder- 

 ment to its contrary, the understanding of causes. ^^ Hence it is 



^' Cf In I Meta, 3, n. 66. 



