.^. ..•■ . ' THE 



LONDON. EDINBURGH and DUBLIN 



PHILOSOPHICAL MAGAZINE 



AND 



JOURNAL OF SCIENCE. 



SUPPLEMENT to VOL. I. FOURTH SERIES. 



LXXIV. On the Theory of Probabilities, and in particular on 

 MitchelFs Problem of the Distribution of the Fixed Stars. By 

 George Boole, Professor of Mathematics in Queen's College, 

 Cork*. 

 To tfie Editors of the Philosojjhical Magazine and Journal. 



Gentlemen, 



MY attention has lately been directed to a communication by- 

 Professor Forbes, in the Philosophical Magazine for De- 

 cember 1850, entitled " On the alleged Evidence for a Physical 

 Connexion between Stars forming Binaiy or IMultiple Groups, 

 deduced from the Doctrine of Chances." I have read Professor 

 Forbes^s observations with great care and interest ; and desire, 

 both because the subject of them is important, and because it is 

 closely related to a class of speculations in the pursuit of which 

 I have long been engaged, to offer a few remarks which have 

 been suggested to me by the perusal of the paper. 



I agree with Professor Forbes in thinking that " any abuse of 

 the mathematical sciences, such as to give definite demonstra- 

 tions and results when no siich demonstrations and results can 

 in the nature of things be legitimately obtained, tends to weaken 

 our confidence in mathematical conclusions generally ; " and I 

 also agree with him that the evidence for final causes is of such 

 a nature that " all attempts to base the proof of design on strictly 

 a priori and geometrical ground should be received with sciiipu- 

 lous caution." May 1 add, that in calling the attention of mathe- 

 maticians to a supposed, and I think also real discrepancy be- 

 tween an alleged result of their science and the conclusions of 

 common sensed Professor Forbes appears to me to have deserved 

 their thanks ? No one who values the science of mathematics 

 upon the only just ground of estimation, as an instrument for 

 the discovery of trath, can desire to shield its conclusions from 

 the severest scrutiny of reason. To endeavour to do this would 

 either be to set the means above the end, or it would be to con- 



* Communicated by the Author. 

 Phil. Mag. S. 4. No. 7. Suppl. Vol. 1. 2 N 



