Modern Science : A Criticism 



be a portion of another ellipse. We might then 

 call the path an irregular curve somewhat resembling 

 an ellipse. This is a new view. But on further 

 enquiry it appears that, while the moon is going 

 round the earth, the earth itself is speeding on 

 through space about the sun — in consequence of 

 which the actual path of the moon does not in the 

 least resemble an ellipse ! Finally the sun itself 

 is in motion with regard to the fixed stars, and 

 they are in movement too. What then is the path 

 of the moon } No one knows ; we have not the 

 faintest idea — the word itself ceases to have any 

 assignable meaning. It is true that if we agree 

 to ignore the perturbations produced by the sun 

 — as in fact we do ignore perturbations produced 

 by the planets and other bodies — and if we agree 

 to ignore the motion of the earth, and the flight 

 of the solar system through space, and even the 

 movement of any centre round which that may be 

 speeding, we may then say that the moon moves 

 in an ellipse. But this has obviously nothing to 

 do with actual facts. The moon does not move 

 in an ellipse — not even " relatively to the earth " 

 — and probably never has done and never will 

 do so. It may be a convenient view or fiction 

 to say that it would do so under such and 

 such circumstances — but it is still only a fiction. 

 To attempt to isolate a small portion of the 

 phenomena from the rest in a universe of 

 which the unity is one of Science's most cher- 

 ished convictions, is obviously self-stultifying and 

 useless. 



83 



