SECT. 23.] Chance, Causation, and Design. 261 



(I) The stars being distributed through space, some of 

 them would of course be nearly in a straight line behind 

 others when looked at from our planet. Supposing that 

 they were tolerably uniformly distributed, we could calculate 

 about how many of them would thus be seen in apparent 

 close proximity to one another. The question is then put, 

 Are there more of them near to each other, two and two, 

 than such calculation would account for ? The answer is that 

 there are many more. So far as I can see the only direct 

 inference that can be drawn from this is that they are not 

 uniformly distributed, but have a tendency to go in pairs. 

 This, however, is a perfectly sound and reasonable applica 

 tion of the theory. Any further conclusions, such as that 

 these pairs of stars will form systems, as it were, to them 

 selves, revolving about one another, and for all practical pur 

 poses unaffected by the rest of the sidereal system, are of 

 course derived from astronomical considerations 1 . Probability 

 confines itself to the simple answer that the distribution is 

 not uniform ; it cannot pretend to say whether, and by what 

 physical process, these binary systems of stars have been 

 caused 2 . 



23 (II). The second question is this, Does the distri 

 bution of the stars, after allowing for the case of the binary 



1 It is precisely analogous to the speak of the probability of a &quot;pliysi- 

 conclusion that the flowers of the cal connect ion&quot; between these double 

 daisies (as distinguished from the stars. The phrase seems mislead- 

 planta, v. p. 109) are not distributed ing, for on the usual hypothesis of 

 at random, but have a tendency to universal gravitation all stars are 

 go in groups of two or more. Mere physically connected, by gravitation, 

 observation shows this: and then, It is therefore better, as above, to 

 from our knowledge of the growth of make it simply a question of relative 

 plants we may infer that these little proximity, and to leave it to astro- 

 groups spring from the same root. norny to infer what follows from un- 



2 In this discussion, writers often usual proximity. 



