236 Chance, Causation, and Design. [CHAP. X. 



jection would appear to be that the principles of the science 

 compel us to assume that events (some events, only, that is) 

 happen without causes, and are thereby removed from the 

 customary control of the Deity. As repeatedly pointed out 

 already this is altogether a mistake. The science of Pro 

 bability makes no assumption whatever about the way in 

 which events are brought about, whether by causation or 

 without it. All that we undertake to do is to establish and 

 explain a body of rules which are applicable to classes of 

 cases in which we do not or cannot make inferences about 

 the individuals. The objection therefore must be some 

 what differently stated, and appears finally to reduce itself 

 to this; that the assumptions upon which the science of 

 Probability rests, are riot inconsistent with a disbelief in 

 causation within certain limits; causation being of course 

 understood simply in the sense of regular sequence. So 

 stated the objection seems perfectly valid, or rather the facts 

 on which it is based must be admitted ; though what con 

 nection there would be between such lack of causation and 

 absence of Divine superintendence I quite fail to see. 



As this Theological objection died away the men of 

 physical science, and those who sympathized with them, 

 began to enforce the same protest ; and similar cautions are 

 still to be found from time to time in modern treatises. 

 Hume, for instance, in his short essay on Probability, com 

 mences with the remark, &quot; though there be no such thing as 

 chance in the world, our ignorance of the real cause of any 

 event has the same influence on the understanding, &c.&quot; 

 De Morgan indeed goes so far as to declare that &quot;the 

 foundations of the theory of Probability have ceased to exist 

 in the mind that has formed the conception,&quot; &quot; that anything 

 ever did happen or will happen without some particular 

 reason why it should have been precisely what it was and 



