102 THE ANATOMY OF SCIENCE 



"You are probably drawing in space and time 

 the paths of two mutually repellent particles. 

 In the first case the two have the same mass and 

 each produces upon the other the same accelera- 

 tion. In the second case the left-hand mass is 

 four times as great, and therefore its accelera- 

 tion is one fourth as small. The dotted line in 

 the center probably represents the path of the 

 center of mass." "But," I say, "why does the 

 smaller mass have the greater acceleration.?" 

 He answers, "Suppose that the large mass is 

 really a group of four small ones, each identical 

 with the body on the right ; if each of these four 

 causes the right-hand body to accelerate as 

 much as if the other three were absent, then the 

 result will be as shown." Other questions occur 

 to me, but I forbear. 



Our search for cause leads to such a varied 

 assortment of replies that I feel causality to be 

 a concept which has not yet been tooled and 

 polished to the nicety required by modern sci- 

 ence. This view of the scientific inadequacy of 

 the idea of cause and effect will certainly be 

 approved by anyone, if such a one there be, who 

 will subscribe to the extremely heterodox con- 

 clusions that I shall venture upon in the next 

 chapter. 



