XII. 

 ON THE ORIGIN OF FORCE* 



" Mens agitat molem et magno se corpore miscet.' 



|HAT is it that we ought to understand by 

 the theory of any natural phenomenon? 

 This is a question not without its importance 

 when we are told, as we so frequently are, 

 that it is useless to inquire into causes: that, in fact, 

 causes are to us as though they were not ; seeing that 

 all we can ever attain to is the observation and registry 

 of constant laws of phenomenal sequence : in other 

 words, that phenomenon succeeds phenomenon, event 

 event, according to certain rules, which are all we have 

 any business to inquire into. 



(2.) It is unfortunate for this doctrine that within the 

 range of every individual's momentary experience there 

 occurs the phenomenon of volition ; and that there are 



* From the Fortnightly Review. 



