THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD in 



negatively electrified particles which revolve in orbits. 

 Except to say that these particles may be a modifica- 

 tion of an ether, they avoid explicit details. Their 

 method of exposition is still the classic method of 

 mechanics. When they try to explain certain lately 

 discovered and obscure phenomena, they merely show 

 that they could be satisfied by supposing the dimen- 

 sions of bodies to be influenced by their motion. At 

 this point they wisely refrain from further explana- 

 tions. Next we find that Professor Einstein definitely 

 changes electrical particles into particles of electricity 

 and matter into complexes of energy. He speaks so 

 confidently of his ability to visualize electricity and 

 energy that we feel our own inability to do so results 

 from a pitiful lack of intelligence. At this point he 

 clinches the whole matter and explains the changes of 

 the dimensions of moving bodies by introducing the oc- 

 cult idea that light is an entity which moves in space 

 with a constant velocity. It is a far cry from the induc- 

 tive method of science which attempts to build general- 

 izations on experience, thus to make the whole concrete 

 world conform to so abstract an idea as the constancy 

 of the velocity of light in space. Nor does he hesitate 

 to found physical science on the paradox, that motion 

 cannot be absolute but the motion of light is absolute. 

 Then Professor Minkowski goes a step further. He 

 accepts all these ideas and then treats them symbol- 

 ically. To deduce conclusions from these postulates, 



