ON THE ORIGIN OF FORCE. 475 



whether we can derive any light from our internal con- 

 sciousness of thought, reason, power, will, motive, design 

 or not : whether, that is to say, nature is or is not more 

 interpretable by supposing these things (be they what they 

 may) to have had, or to have, to do with its arrange- 

 ments. Constituted as the human mind is, if nature be 

 not interpretable through these conceptions, it is not 

 interpretable at all ; and the only reason we can have 

 for troubling ourselves about it is either the utilitarian 

 one of bettering our condition by " subduing nature " to 

 our use through a more complete understanding of its 

 " laws," so as to throw ourselves into its grooves, and 

 thereby reach our ends more readily and effectually ; or 

 the satisfaction of that sort of aimless curiosity which 

 can find its gratification in scrutinizing everything and 

 comprehending nothing. But if these attributes of mind 

 are not consentaneous, they are useless in the way of ex- 

 planation. Will without Motive, Power without Design, 

 Thought opposed to Reason, would be admirable in 

 explaining a chaos, but would render little aid in account- 

 ing for anything else. 



